Wings of Freedom
by jikker jack
Summary: Eren, Armin and Mikasa, never made it to Wall Rose. Now they must survive in Titan territory. But help arrives in the form of a mysterious red stone. How will the people of the Walls and their enemies, react to Eren and his friends, now that they have training, magic and giant fire breathing reptiles at their backs, and a mysterious man and his Dragon, seeking refuge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** \- Well, this was my first attempt at publishing a story, but it's already been up for a little over a month on another site, and no one has even found it.

So, I'm hoping this site will work better. I've always preferred this one anyway though.

Now my knowledge of Inheritance Cycle lore is near zero, so feel free to call me out on anything and I welcome any advice and constructive criticism.

Also, like with all my stories, I won't be able to update often or regularly and will probably disappear for long stretches of time. I am truly sorry about this and thank any who are willing to put up with it.

I do not own Inheritance Cycle or Attack on Titan, this story is a work of fan fiction.

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**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The air was eerily quiet as the sun set over the great barrier known as Wall Maria, and was blotted out by a massive billowing cloud of steam.

The quiet was broken however, by a boy's sobs.

Not far from the wall, on the bank of a long stream, a boy with blond hair, sat on the ground in his soaked clothes and gripping a hat tightly as he stared at it and sobbed. The boy's name was Armin Arlelt, and the hat had belonged to his grandfather.

Armin was in shock as he sat there and cried. His grandfather was dead but Armin couldn't remember how, he couldn't remember anything, and he was only vaguely aware of people shouting at him. Armin was simply too stunned to process anything, he simply couldn't except that his only remaining blood relative, was gone. But then...

** BAM!**

Armin's head was tossed to the side as he was suddenly and painfully brought back to reality and he felt blood start to leak from his lip. Armin blinked a few times as his senses came back to him, and then he looked up to see his friends, Mikasa Ackermann and Eren Jaeger. Both of them had terrified and desperate expressions but Eren's was even more so and blood was dripping from his fist.

Armin realized that Eren had punched him "w-what...what's going on-" Armin stuttered but was interrupted by Eren picking him up off the ground "come on Armin, snap out of it! We need to move!" Eren yelled and started dragging Armin away with Mikasa right on their heals. Armin's mind race as he was practically dragged away _what's going on? I don't..._ Armin thought as he was dragged along, but then suddenly gasped as the memories came back to him. Armin then looked back with horror, only to see that it was true. The boat they were using to escape Shiganshina, was now smashed and Titans were swarming it and eating the people on board while they escaped. That was how Armin's grandfather had died. When that abnormal Titan came running at them at full speed and jumped on their boat, and brought more Titans with it, Armin's grandfather had distracted them so he and his friends could escape.

Armin was about to go into shock again, but Eren's hand, painfully clamping down on his wrist, kept him grounded. Armin then clenched his teeth and looked away from the boat and tried to ignore the screams of the people getting eaten as he yanked his hand free from Eren's grasp and kept running, _I'm not going to die here. Not after grandpa sacrificed himself for us_ Armin thought as he ran.

But, amidst all the chaos, no one noticed the air, high above the clouds, warping and shimmering. The air in that spot seamed to mix with a rainbow of colors and swell like a bubble, ready to pop. Then the warp busted and shot out two creatures like a cannon.

The creatures both let out ear splitting roars as they tumbled through the air, clawing and biting at each other. The first creature was a Dragon. A large reptile, with snow white scales, but the spines on its back and the scales on it's belly and paws, were crimson red. However, the white scales were covered with blood and dirt, and several gashes tour through the natural armor, leaving the majestic creature looking beaten and ragged, and it's saddle looked as though it was hanging on by a thread.

Atop the magnificent beast, a boy in his teens, stood up in the saddle. The boy had pale skin, a long skinny face and messy, crimson red hair. The boy's eyes were heterochromatic, with his left a deep emerald green, and his right a steely silver, with a scar running over it, though the eye it's self was undamaged. The boy wore steel armor, but it was shredded beyond recognition and covered in dirt and blood, his and his enemies. The boy's face was also cut up and covered it dirt and blood, some of it still leaking from his face, and his hair was matted with it.

The second creature was identical to the first, but it was made entirely out of black smoke and shadows and it spewed unnatural, black fire at the others. And atop this abomination, stood something that was once a man. It was a Shade, who's skin was even paler then the boy's, but his eye sockets were as black as his greasy, long, raven hair, and his eyes were blood red and he wore tattered black robes. The man looked like a rotting corps and he held up his hand as he chanted in an Ancient and powerful language and he threw a black fireball at his targets.

The Dragon dodged as best she could, but still gave a roar of pain and anger as the flames graze her side and her Rider grunted in pain as he too felt the flames against her scales. The Dragon then maneuvered around herself and spewed white flames at the Shade and his mount, to little effect, and the shadows that formed the beast simply reformed once the flames died down.

The Dragon roared with rage _"curse these abominations!"_ the Dragon yelled with her mind. The Dragon's Rider placed a hand on her neck "easy Thalia. No matter how much we may what it, shouting him to death won't work" he said. Thalia snorted in response _"well Ruaidhrí, I don't see you contributing anything"_ the Dragon shot back and Roy groaned, he hated being called by his full name, and Thalia knew it. But the Dragon soon realized that his name wasn't the reason for his discomfort, as she felt intense pain flowing off him. Thalia looked back to see the scar over Roy's eye starting to glow red and extending down his face and neck, and down his chest.

Thalia whined a little as she saw this. The closer they got to the Shade, the more the cursed wound he inflicted on Roy would resurface and debilitate her Rider. Roy noticed his Dragon's gaze as he gripped his chest "I'm fine, just focus on flying" he strained out and the Dragon had no choice but to obey as more fire came at them. Roy's eye turned bloodshot as the scar got worse, but he powered through it and scanned the area for anything that could help them. He knew the only way to stop the Shade was to get in close and stab him through the heart, but even if he could get that close, he might not be able to pull it off in his condition.

Roy looked down at Thalia's saddle bags and his face hardened over with determination. They couldn't afford to fail, and so Roy kept looking, and that's when he noticed the cloud of smoke and steam, and his mind formulated a plan "Thalia, I got an idea" he told his Dragon as she dodged more fire. Roy then sent his plan to Thalia mentally and the Dragon's red eyes, shot wide _"no, it's too risky"_ she protested, but then another fireball grazed her side "do you have a better idea" Roy shot back and Thalia was quiet for a moment _"alright, but be careful"_ she relented and dove into the steam.

The Shade laughed as he fallowed them in "fools! You cannot escape!" he yelled after them as he dove into the cloud and was blinded by all the steam. The Shade looked around frantically, but saw nothing and so stretched his mind out to search for them and the Shade's eyes shot wide as he found them flying right at him. The Shade's mount ducked a claw swipe and lashed out with it's own and Thalia roared in pain as the claws dug through her scales and into flesh and her saddle was ripped a little, but the Dragon managed to flip over the Shade and shoot off in the other direction. The Shade gave a menacing laugh as he turned and chased after the Dragon "you have no hope of besting me you worm!" the Shade laughed, but then the Dragon gave the closest thing to a smirk, she could muster _"I don't have to"_ she replied and the Shade looked at her in confusion, and that's when he noticed that Thalia's saddle was empty.

The Shade realized his mistake too late, and screamed in pain as a white blade, wreathed in white flames, burst through his chest. The blade shown like polished steal, with a material like ruby, flowing up the blade in flowing patterns and shined like polished glass and runes in the same language the Shade spoke before, glowed along the blade, as if it had just come off the forge. The cross guard and pommel were inlayed with emerald, and text was written in English on the cross guard, displaying the swords name "Wyvern".

The Shade looked down at the magnificent blade in his last moments, then back at the Rider standing behind him, with his right eye clenched shut in pain and his free hand clutching his chest "go to hell" Roy spat at the Shade, his voice sharp as his blade and cold as the death it wrought, and the Shade gave one last scream as he burst in an explosion of smoke and shadows and a cacophony of inhuman screams echoed out as the spirits that gave the Shade his power, escaped.

Roy's scar faded back to normal and the Shade's mount gave a final roar as it disappeared and Roy fell. The Rider sheathed his blade and twisted in the air so he was facing down and he braced for impact, but not with the ground. Thalia then swooped in and caught her Rider on her back. Thalia looked back at her Rider _"are you alright?"_ she asked and Roy grunted as he gripped his side "better, but not good. I'm just glad I got that bastard back for what he did to Ari and Vorlin" he answered and Thalia wined a little at the mention of her mate and his Rider _"they would be glad that we avenged them...and your eye"_ Thalia added and Roy reached up and traced the scar "an eye for an eye. My debt is repaid...to both of you" Roy muttered as they flew.

Thalia dipped a little in the air, as her own injuries started to catch up with her. Roy snapped out of his musings and looked to his Dragon "I got you, just find a place to set down" he told her as he started looking over Thalia's injuries _"I'll do my best"_ Thalia replied as she angled towards the ground. As Roy was working on Thalia's wounds, he noticed one of the saddle bags was ripped and his breath caught in his throat "oh god no" he muttered as he quickly checked the bag. Thalia noticed Roy's distress _"what is it!? what's wrong!?"_ she asked with worry. Roy didn't answer _"Roy! what is it!?"_ the Dragon demanded and there was another long pause "It's gone" Roy finally answered, numbly _"what!? What's gone!?"_ Thalia growled, growing more concerned, but Roy was once again silent _"ROY!"_ an actual roar accompanied Thalia's scream and Roy finally snapped out of it "THE EGG!" he answered and started looking frantically over his Dragon at the ground.

Thalia froze in the air and hovered for a moment. Then she let loose an agonized roar that was heard for miles around. Thalia turned and started scanning the ground, with even more frantic movement then Roy _"we have to fine it!"_ Thalia screamed, but a thousand sharp razors, jabbing at Roy from every angle, made him look down with shame "we can't" he forced out and Thalia turn her head to look at him with rage _"WHAT!? how can you say that!?"_ she yelled at him. Just then, a strong wind blew through and Thalia yelped in pain and fell out of control for a few seconds, before catching herself and grunting in pain and exhaustion from the exertion.

Roy grunted too as he righted himself in the saddle "that's why" he said and slumped forward a little, in pain "we've been running for nearly a month strait, with little to no sleep, food or water, and fighting the whole way. We're not in any condition to search for the egg" Roy explained. Thalia looked back at him with sad and conflicted eyes _"but the egg..."_ she started with desperation "is nearly indestructible. We will come back and find it" Roy assured her. The Dragon looked down with depression _"alright"_ Thalia said in defeat and started looking for a safe place to land. Roy placed a hand on his Dragon's neck "we will find it Thalia. We will" he tried to reassure her, to little effect.

And so the pair searched for a place to set down, while below them, a large red stone, with silver veins, was swept down a river, towards a group of three lost kids.

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**A/N **\- Ok I would just like to point out that the Shade that just died, was NOT Durza, he was an OC.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** \- Holy S*! Already got a few views not even a day after uploading! I should have posted here in the first place.

Since people are actually finding this story here, I'll go ahead and post as many of the chapters I already have finished, as I can.

I do have a requests though. If Anyone of you know how fast Dragons mature in Inheritance Cycle, please P.M me or leave a review.

Also, here's a speech guide for future reference.

"Talking"

_"Telepathic Speech"_

_Thoughts_

"Translated From The Ancient Language"

Thank you for reading my story and I hope you enjoy. :-)

**Wings Of Freedom**

**Chapter 2**

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Eren breathed heavily as he ran for his life through the grassy fields. His vision obstructed by the thick fog, but he could clearly hear the **THUMP...THUMP...THUMP** of the Titan chasing after him.

Eren ran through bushes full of thorns and was cut up a little, but powered through it as he kept running but the Titan continued to gain ground on him. Eren's foot caught on something and he fell. He looked up at the Titan as it came into view through the fog and his eyes widened in horror "no" he said with fear as he looked up into the grinning face of the Titan that killed his mother. Eren screamed and covered his head as the Titan stomped towards him and he waited for the end.

But it never came, and Eren looked up in confusion to see that the Titan had walked right over him and was continuing on. Eren didn't have time to be shocked or confused by the Titan's behavior though, because he saw the Titan's intended target "no!" Eren yelled as he tried to get up and run after the Titan, before it could reach his house. Eren tried to rise to his feet, but he was pulled back down by whatever had tripped him. Eren looked down and froze for a moment before screaming at what he saw. A decaying hand, was sticking out of the ground and holding him by the leg.

Eren tried to pull free, but more hands shot up and gripped him tightly. Eren screamed some more as he tried to wrench himself free, but the hands wouldn't let go "why..." a raspy voice called out and Eren froze again "no...please god no" he begged as he looked down in horror and the body of the first hand, pulled it's self up, reviling the dead and decaying form of Carla Jaeger.

Eren stared in shock at his dead mother as she pulled herself up closer to him "why didn't you save me?" she rasped out and Eren started crying "no, I...I'm sorry...I tried" Eren chocked. Carla's face seamed to loose whatever life it had left as she looked at Eren with dead eyes "you failed" she said and Eren started sobbing "please, I didn't mean to...I..." Eren tried to speak but the words died in his throat. Eren then stiffened as Carla pulled herself up so she was face to face with Eren and whispered "your failing now".

Eren gasped and turned to see the Titan ripping the top off his house and he heard Armin and Mikasa scream as it pulled them out "NO!" Eren yelled as he tried to brake free and run to them, but the hands of the dead, berried beneath him, tightened their grip and pulled themselves up, revealing them to be his neighbors from Shiganshina, and Armin's grandfather, and everyone he'd left behind on that boat so he and his friends could escape.

Eren screamed as they held him down and forced him to watch the Titan eat his friends "Eren, how can you hope to save them, when you couldn't even save me? You can't even save yourself" Carla said and Eren continued to scream as the dead held him down **"Eren"** they all called out.

**"EREN"**

**"EREN"**

* * *

"Eren!" Mikasa yelled and Eren shot awake, breathing heavily as sweat ran down his face and soaked his clothes. Eren blinked a few times as he got ahold of his senses. His hands, arms and legs, were cut up a bit, and a little of his blood was running down the sharp rocks in the cave they were in, and Armin and Mikasa were holding him down tightly, in an attempt to control his nightmare induced thrashing.

Eren's breathing finally slowed and he looked up at his friends "A-Armin...Mikasa?" he said, still a little in shock from his dream. Armin and Mikasa sighed with relief as they let go of him "it's alright Eren. It was just a dream" Armin told him as he rubbed the cuts and bruises on his own hand, from trying to hold Eren still. Eren felt guilt rising in him and he looked down at the floor and silently cursed himself. This was the third time he'd had that same nightmare. It had been three days since Wall Maria fell, and they were barely holding it together. They had been on the run the whole time, with little to no food or water, and hardly any sleep on account of Eren's nightmares. It didn't help that they were trying to sleep during the day ether and move at night. Armin had noticed early on that Titans only moved during the day and seamed to be incapacitated at night, and so they developed a schedule of moving at night, and trying to find safe places to hold up and try to sleep during the day.

Eren sat there for a moment with bags under his eyes, and he glanced up to see the others in a similar condition "I'm sorry guys" he apologized and Armin looked to him with tired eyes "don't be. We're all dealing with this in our own way" he said but Eren continued to look down at the floor in shame.

The earth shook as a Titan walked by their cave and Armin glanced down at the small hole in the wall, next to the ground and saw sunlight shining through "we still have a while before sunset, so we better try and get a little more sleep" he said as he laid back down. Eren wasn't so excited for sleep though. He was afraid he'd have that same nightmare again, but he needed sleep badly, so he too laid down and attempted to rest.

* * *

[Elsewhere]

Roy sat atop Wall Maria, panting as he looked down at a scorch mark on the ground in shock. Thalia draped a wing over him while growling at the very same spot. A scorch mark she created when the Titan that once stood there attempted to eat Roy.

The Rider rubbed the spot on his chest where the Titan's molars had attempted to crush him in half. Thankfully it didn't make it through his wards, but it was still traumatizing "what the hell was that thing?" Roy asked and Thalia snarled at the incinerated remains of the Titan _"I don't know, but I can smell more of them all around"_ she warned, then glanced down at her claws with blood evaporating off them _"it healed impossibly fast too. My claws were practically useless against it" _she snorted with anger and Roy grimaced as well, as he remembered it healing after Thalia clawed and crushed it into a bloody mass of flesh.

Roy then grunted as he stood up and walked to the other side of the wall and looked down at the destroyed city below. The Rider stretched his mind down to the city, but found no one alive "whatever these things are, they've clearly been around for a while" he said as he looked up at the rest of the wall "long enough for people to build defenses against them" he continued. Thalia turned around and joined her Rider _"I fail to see how a people capable of surpassing the Dwarves in construction, could fall prey to mindless abominations such as these"_ the Dragon commented.

Roy sighed "what makes you think they're all mindless like the ones down there seamed to be" he said while eyeing the busted gate "besides, look around you. What do you see?" the Rider asked and his Dragon eyed the wall _"an impossibly large wall that shouldn't exist"_ she deadpanned. Roy shook his head "yes but what's in the walls?" he asked while looking down at all the destruction "cities an towns. Judging from things, this wall has probably stood for hundreds of years, and what happens when something people rely on, stands for that long?" Roy asked with bitterness and Thalia growled as she caught on _"they get comfortable with the status quo"_ she answered with equal bitterness and Roy nodded "it's just like Vroengard and the Order. Some people may want change, but most likely the ones in charge didn't want to risk changing anything, and so they were unprepared when this happened" Roy explained while looking over the ruined city, his bitterness over the fall of Vroengard leaking into his voice.

Thalia growled as she looked over the wall with a more critical eye and noticed the lack of defenses. No archers, no catapults and no wards. It was just a wall and it seamed everyone relied solely on it's size to protect them. Thalia sniffed the air a little "_Judging by the smell of the blood and the lack of decay, I'd say the wall was breached about three days ago, around the time we arrived here"_ she said and Roy clenched his fists as guilt built inside him. Thalia nudged his side _"you said it yourself, we where too weak to help anyone after our fight with the Shade, and we've only just now recovered enough to leave the cave we've been hiding in"_ she told him and some of the tension left her Rider, but not all. Roy then turned and looked out towards the interior of the Wall and stretched his mind out as far as it would go "I still don't feel the egg" he said and Thalia's head drooped a little _"neither can I"_ she admitted with shame. Roy hummed in thought as he gazed further into the Wall "then let's head further in. If there are any refugees, they might have mistook the egg for a precious stone and grabbed it on their way out" he reasoned.

Thalia snorted in agreement as she lowered herself down and Roy jumped up in the saddle and the two flew out to Wall Rose.

* * *

[Back With The Others]

"AAAGGGHHH!" Eren screamed as he shot awake "Eren!" Armin called as he ran over to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder "hay, are you ok?" he asked. Eren didn't answer and simply stared at the ground for a moment "yah...I'm fine" Eren finally answered while running a hand through his hair and gripping his head _damn it. Get it together Jaeger_ Eren thought to himself as he gripped the soft grass with his free hand.

Eren's eyes shot wide _wait, grass!?_ he thought with horror and gasped as he looked around at the open, moonlit field "what!? Why are we out in the open!?" he asked in a panic. Armin gave his friend's shoulder a firm squeeze "calm down, we still have time before the sun comes up" Armin assured him but Eren looked up at Armin with worry "what happened?" he asked, the bags under his eyes making him look a little unstable. Armin sighed "you passed out from exhaustion while we were moving" he explained and Eren looked at Armin with horror _damn it! I put them in danger because of a stupid dream!_ Eren scalded himself.

Armin noticed Eren's condition "hay, we're all not sleeping well. If you hadn't passed out then one of us would have" he said, knowing full well that he was about to do the exact same thing before Eren did. Eren still continued to stare at the ground though with a scowl and Armin sighed "anyway, Mikasa went on ahead to look for a place to hold up while you rested" he explained. Then right on cue, Mikasa walked up out of the tree line. She then froze when she saw Eren awake and then sprinted to him "Eren!" she called and fell to her knees next to him.

Eren recoiled a little, but then scowled at the ground again "I'm fine Mikasa" he said, still feeling guilty. Mikasa looked a little hurt by his reaction and looked at him with worry. Armin noticed the tension and decided to change the subject "Mikasa, did you find anything?" he asked and Mikasa seamed to snap out of it a little "yah, I found a cave down by the river and some supplies in an abandoned house, but we need to move now if we're going to make it by daybreak" she answered. Armin nodded "let's get moving then" he said as he stood up then offered a hand to Eren. Eren looked at the offered hand for a moment, then grimaced and looked away and rose on his own "yah, let's go" he said, a little bitter.

Mikasa and Armin looked at him with worry for a moment "alright" Armin said, a little dejected and concerned for his friend as Mikasa lead the way.

* * *

Mikasa lead them to a small cave on the river. The entrance was low to the ground and they had to crawl to get in and the floor was flooded with an inch of water. Eren felt his shocks getting soaked as he stood there, crouched so he wouldn't bump his head on the ceiling. He then gripped his stomach as it began to growl "how much longer can we keep going like this?" he muttered to himself as he felt his fatigue eating away at him.

Armin looked down with dread as he slid down to the floor "I don't know. In our current condition, I doubt we'll make it much farther, and I'm pretty sure we've been walking in circles a little, with how sleep deprived we are" he admitted and rubbed his baggy eyes. Mikasa then looked to her pack and swung it in front of her "well, I might be able to help with one of those" she said and pulled out a few stale roles of bread.

Eren and Armin's eyes widened as they stared at the food with a little shock. They then devoured it with zeal and it was gone in the blink of an eye. The three of them then slumped against the wall of the cave and sighed in content. They were still very hungry and were starting to look it too, but it was something. Eren closed his eyes and let his hands fall to his sides in the water, trying to enjoy something in the nightmare that was his reality. Then he felt something smooth, brush against his hand. Eren opened his eyes and looked down at whatever it was and gasped at what he saw.

Mikasa and Armin noticed and looked to him in worry "Eren, what's wrong?" Mikasa asked and Eren picked up what he found "guys, check this out" he said and held in front of him, what appeared to be a large, red stone, with silver veins. Armin and Mikasa, also couldn't help gasping a little at it. The stone was beautiful and sparkled in what little light leaked into the cave "wow" Armin breathed as he ran a hand over it's smooth and polished surface "weird, it doesn't feel like a normal stone, but then again, I doubt this thing was polished naturally" he commented "yah, but I didn't think rocks like this, got this big" Eren added as he turned it over in his hands "I didn't think they did ether. It must be worth a fortune" Mikasa added. Mikasa then arched an eyebrow and tilted her head to get a better look at the stone "it looks almost like a-"

**BOOM!**

Mikasa was interrupted as the earth shook and a little dust and some pebbles, fell from the ceiling. Eren look up as he heard the booming and he groaned a little "looks like the Titans are moving again" Armin commented and looked up, hoping the cave wouldn't collapse under the weight of a wondering Titan. Mikasa tried to settle in on the wet floor "well, we better try to get some rest" she said and Armin nodded in agreement. Eren involuntarily gripped the stone tighter though as dread filled him. He didn't what to go to sleep. He didn't want to live through that nightmare again.

Eren sighed as he released the tension in his body and set the stone down and settled in. There was no point fighting it, all he could do was endure. Eren cast one last look at the stone before drifting off to sleep. In a way he wished he could take it with them. It was unique and something about it seamed to almost speak to him. But they couldn't afford to carry the extra weight and it would just slow them down _what good would a rock do for us anyway?_ Eren thought as he banished the idea and fell to sleep. Though if he had stayed awake a little longer, he might have heard the faint squeak, coming from inside the egg.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wings Of Freedom**

** Chapter 3**

* * *

"AAAAHHHH!" Eren shot awake screaming again and breathed heavily as his friends held him in place "Eren!" Mikasa called with worry as he sat there. Eren then looked around and he could tell, he hadn't even been asleep for an hour before waking up and disturbing his friends.

Eren Looked down with his baggy and tear stained eyes "damn it" he said, his voice braking a little as he ran a hand through his hair and gripped it _I can't go on like this. It's not just me who's suffering from it_ Eren thought and looked up at his exhausted friends_ at this rate, I'm going to get them killed too_ he thought with tears still leaking from his eyes a little.

Mikasa placed a hand on Eren's shoulder "it's ok Eren, everything is going to be fine" she tried to reassure him, but Eren clenched his fist and averted his gaze "no, it's not ok. Nothing about this is ok" he said with a broken voice. His friends looked down at him with concern "Eren, I realize that things aren't looking good, but-"

"Your not getting it!" Eren cut Armin off and then looked up with sad and desperate eyes "we can't go on like this. I'm just dragging you all down and at this rate, we'll all end up dead" Eren said and Mikasa looked horrified as she could tell where he was going "you'd be better off leaving me behind" Eren confessed and his friends stood frozen in horror as they stared down at him in dead silence.

**BANG!**

Eren's head was suddenly thrown to the side with a groan of pain as Mikasa punched him "Mikasa!?" Armin exclaimed but froze before he could do anything, when she shot him a glare, telling him to stay out of it. Then, as Eren was recovering, Mikasa grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned him against the wall and she radiated fury as her gray eyes bored into Eren's green ones "don't you dare say anything like that" Mikasa said coldly and her arms started to trembling slightly "I promised your mom I wouldn't let you die, and I'm not about to let her down" she affirmed.

Eren was too stunned to respond at first, but then he grimaced "damn it Mikasa, I won't let my friends die because I cant hold it together!" he shot back but Mikasa tightened her grip and pushed him into the wall with more force "and I'm not letting you die! I've already lost too much!" Mikasa yelled and everything fell silent for a moment as Eren stared at her in shock. Eren then gasped slightly as he noticed a tear streak down Mikasa's face. Mikasa then locked eyes with Eren "I'm not letting anyone else I care about die" she said with dead seriousness.

Eren and Armin were both too stunned to come up with a response, Eren hadn't seen her like this since the night they first met and it really hit home how disturbed Mikasa was. Eren tried to think of something to say in response, but it wouldn't be necessary, because they were all interrupted by a sudden.

**CRACK!**

Everyone froze up for a moment "um, what was that?" Armin asked and his question was answered by a squeak. The three friends then slowly turned their heads to see the stone that Eren found, glistening in a ray of sunlight that was leaking in. The stone then shook on it's own and cracks started to form on it's surface as more squeaks came from inside the stone.

Mikasa let go of Eren as they all stared, mesmerized by the stone. Then, part of the stone broke and a scaly, silver paw, stuck out. Armin's tired brain finally caught up with him and he gasped "it's an egg" he blurted out, while the others continued to watch the egg shake and more cracks spider webbed it's surface.

Eren's tired mind, raced as he watched the egg brake and more paws stuck out "what would lay an egg like this?" he thought aloud. Then the egg stopped moving and everyone held their breath in suspense as a small growl emanated from inside the egg. Then the front suddenly exploded outward as a bright red, reptile with silver accents, jumped out and flailed around as it toppled over it's self and fell in the water.

Armin blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes to make sure they went playing tricks on him "what...is that thing?" he asked as they watched it flail around in the water and eventually scramble to it's feet. The kids then got a good look at the little reptile as it growled at it's egg, then started pawing the gunk off the scales around it's eyes, "it's...kind of cute" Mikasa admitted, but her assessment, though accurate, did it no justice. It's scales sparkled with a metallic sheen in what little sun leaked into the cave. They were mostly red, but it's paws, belly and spines were a stunning silver, along with it's eyes, the tip of it's tail, and the nubs on it's head that would grow into horns. There was also a line of silver running the edge of it's wings, where the bone was.

Eren blinked a few times. The creature was beautiful, and adorable "Armin, did your book say anything about this thing?" Eren asked and his friend snapped out of it as he tried to recall his book on the outside "sorry, but I can't think of anything right now" Armin admitted, his brain too sleep deprived and distracted by the creature in front of him to remember properly.

Everyone froze again as the reptile looked in there direction and squeaked at them, before waddling over and nearly tripping on it's own feet a few times. It then stopped and sat right in front of them and stared intently at Armin, like it was looking for something "what's it doing?" Mikasa asked as the reptile snorted and shook it's head before turning to Mikasa, apparently not finding what it was looking for "I'm not sure. Animals usually are afraid of Humans unless we domesticate them...Maybe since it just hatched, it's-"

**_Squeak!_**

Armin was interrupted by the little reptile. It had moved on from Mikasa, and the moment it laid eyes on Eren, it started squeaking and reared up on it's hind legs, only to fall in the water again. Eren was shocked by it's reaction to him and leaned back a little as it stood back up and walked up to him and extended it's head in his direction, like it was waiting for something. But then as Eren looked into the little reptile's eyes, he saw something. A spark of something like intelligence, and he felt compelled to reach out a meet it halfway "Eren, maybe you shouldn't-" Mikasa warning came too late, as Eren's right hand made contact with the reptile's snout and he let loose the most bloody and agonized scream of his entire life and convulsed on the ground before falling unconscious, and the last thing he heard was Mikasa yelling his name.

* * *

[Trost District]

Thalia flew high above the clouds, in the cover of the sun, so if anyone was stupid enough to look up at into It's rays, she would just look like a bird. The Dragon peered down at the city and extended her mind to look for the missing egg _"any luck up there Thalia?"_ Roy asked his Dragon from the ground. Thalia huffed _"nothing. Just more pain and regret from the people's minds"_ she answered.

Down on the ground, Roy mimicked his Dragon _"same here"_ he replied. Roy was getting really frustrated. It wasn't enough that he lost his home, his friends, and now the egg. But on top of that, he was now stranded in an foreign land, and he couldn't understand a word anyone was saying. Being able to read emotions and access people's minds, did give him some wiggle room, but it didn't change the fact that Roy didn't understand any of their language.

Roy sighed as he walked down the street and extended his mind out to look for the egg one last time. Accessing the minds of all the refugees and feeling their pain and grief was starting to effect Roy and bring out his own grief, which he had been burying deep down, and the solders weren't much better. One of them was racked with grief over what had happened out at the outer wall, and all Roy was getting out of him were images of three kids and a woman trapped under a house.

Thalia sensed Roy staring to fall into depression and roared in his mind, snapping him out of it _"thanks Thalia"_ Roy thanked his Dragon _"I don't think the egg is here, and you've been in the mind of too many depressed people. Perhaps we should leave for now and search elsewhere"_ Thalia suggested with worry in her mental voice. Roy sighed as he tossed the pack of clothes he'd stolen to replace his torn and blooded ones, over his shoulder. He hated steeling and would have simply bought them, but as things stood, he didn't have a choice. He was just glad the chaos and disorder allowed him to move about in his current clothing without arousing suspicion _"alright, I'm heading to the spot where up set me down, now but before we go, there's something I need to do"_ Roy told Thalia as he manipulated the minds of the guards and sneaked through the gate.

Thalia hummed as she came in for a landing _"you want to help the people here"_ she guessed and Roy glanced back at the city_ "I don't need to read minds to tell their going through a famine, and with all the refugees, their headed for starvation"_ Roy explained and he could feel his Dragon's confliction. She wanted to go out and look for the egg, but she couldn't let these people starve _"alright, but we go out and look for the egg immediately after"_ Thalia said with no room for argument as she landed in an area thick with trees and Roy jumped up on the saddle "I promise, no telling what might be happening to it out there" Roy said aloud as they took off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wings Of Freedom**

** Chapter 4**

* * *

Eren was having another nightmare, but this one was different from the others. Despite it being dark, Eren could see clearly, but the colors were off, with reds showing up as a dull brown and blues appeared even more vibrant. But that wasn't what concerned him at the moment, it was that he was surrounded by Titans, but these ones were different. They were in an enormous cave and the Titans were wearing clothes and looked more normal, but what disturbed Eren the most, was that the Titan were his friends.

_What the hell is going on!?_ Eren thought in a panic as he hid behind another Titan who was passed out. Mikasa was looking down at Eren with murderous eyes and would have had him, if Armin weren't holding her back "Mikasa calm down! We don't know what's going on!" Armin tried to reason with Mikasa as he held her back as best he could. But Mikasa just continued to stare daggers at Eren "that thing hurt Eren, that's all I need to know!" she shot back as she struggled.

Eren's mind did backflips as he tried to process everything and get his panic under control _what's happening? And what the hell is Mikasa talking about, I'm right here. And why are they Titans!?_ Eren pondered as he managed to calm down a little_ a dream...yah, this is just a crazy dream. It has to be_ Eren thought, but then he realized something _wait...if, this is a dream, then why am I so lucid?..._

Eren's musing were cut short by Mikasa braking free from Armin's grasp momentarily and nearly getting Eren before Armin got hold of her again. But what really got Eren's attention, was his body moving on it's own _what the hell!?_ he thought and would have winced as he felt a pain on his back _what is going on!? Why can't I control my body and why am I...on all fours?_ Eren trailed off in confusion as he finally took notice of his current state. And that was when Eren noticed that he was not only on all fours, but he also hand and elongated neck, a tail tucked under him, and wings on his back, one of which was hurting really badly.

Eren went into a state of shock as he realized this and his head looked up at the Titan he was hiding behind, to see that it was Eren, knocked out with his head lulled to the side and drooling a little. Eren felt his panic skyrocketing as he looked up at himself _a dream! This has to be a dream!_ he thought. But then, Mikasa finally broke free from Armin's grasp and there was no restraining her again as she lunged for Eren. And in that moment, Eren just knew, this was real. The fear was real, the pain was real, and if he didn't do something now, then he was going to die at the hands of one of his closest friends.

Just then, as Mikasa was about to grab Eren, he felt his mind being pulled out of his head and everything went black. Then when Eren opened his eyes, he was in the very position he'd seen during that strange dream, and he was looking down at the little hatchling from earlier as Mikasa was about to grab it.

Eren still wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he had to do something, and acting on instinct, he quickly reached out and put Mikasa's hand in a death grip, before she could grab the hatchling. Mikasa froze then and when she looked up, her breath hitched in her throat. Eren was giving her the same murderous glare, she had been giving the hatchling. Eren then pulled up his legs and kicked Mikasa back to the other side of the cave.

Armin caught Mikasa before she hit the wall and held her so she couldn't go after them again, but he couldn't help but looked up at Eren in shock at what had just happened. Mikasa also looked up in shock, once she had recovered and a plethora of emotions, ranging from hurt to confusion, ran through her as she sat there.

Eren was also in shock at everything that had transpired since that egg hatched, but he didn't let up on his glare as the hatchling hid behind him and Eren felt fear gripping him for some strange reason.

Mikasa blinked a few times as she recovered "Eren, what are you doing? you need to get away from that thin-" Mikasa's words died in her throat as Eren's glare intensified "don't you dare touch her!" he yelled and his friends just sat there in shock "h-her?" Armin hesitantly asked and Eren froze up for a second, then looked back at the little hatchling with confusion _why DID I say that?_ he thought. Eren didn't understand what was going on or how he knew it was a girl, all he knew was that he felt incredible fear. Fear of Mikasa to be precise, which only confused him even more, seeing as Mikasa is the last person he would ever be afraid of in this way. But Eren also felt like he needed to protect the little hatchling hiding behind him.

Armin watched nervously as he held Mikasa back. He was amazed he was able to restrain her at all, which just goes to show how malnourished and sleep deprived they were. Regardless, Armin knew he wouldn't be able to hold her much longer, so he needed to defuse the situation quickly "Eren, what's going on?" he asked hesitantly and Eren snapped out of his musing and looked up at them "I...I honestly don't know" he answered, a little shaky.

Mikasa grimaced and started struggling again "then get away from that thing before it does anything else!" she exclaimed and Eren glared at her again while moving to block the little reptile behind him from Mikasa's view. Armin struggled to hold Mikasa back "hold on Mikasa! We don't know enough about what's going on yet!" Armin said as he struggled and Mikasa glared at him "we already saw what it did to Eren when it touched him! Why risk letting it stay near him!?" Mikasa demanded "because we don't actually know what it did!" Armin shot back.

As Armin and Mikasa devolved into argument, Eren's temper flared. His arm was killing him, he had a splitting headache, he was hungry and hadn't slept properly in days and on top of that he was struggling to understand what was going on.

Finally, Eren snapped **"QUIET! EVERYONE JUST BE QUIET!"** he screamed at the top of his lounges and Armin and Mikasa froze amid their arguing and looked at Eren with wide eyes as he gripped his head and breathed heavily.

With the silence, Eren was finally able to collect his thoughts and rubbed his head as he tried to short through everything. He was still feeling an enormous amount of fear that he couldn't seam to shake off, but something about it didn't feel right. As Eren was processing everything, he reach up to rub his hurt arm, only to freeze and his eyes to shoot wide as he reached over his shoulder towards his back _what the..?_ he thought as he realized he was feeling pain in a limb he didn't have. Eren then looked down at the hatchling behind him and how she was holding her right wing tightly against her body. Eren reached down and hesitated for a moment before giving an experimental touch to the wing. Eren and the hatchling both hissed in pain and quickly pulled away from the touch "Eren!" Mikasa called with worry, noticing, but Eren quickly held up his hand and glared at her "I'm fine" he said, then looked down at the hatchling with a contemplative look "I'm not the one in pain" he muttered, barely above a whisper as he finally realized what was going on and why he was so terrified.

Armin noticed Eren's expression of realization "Eren?" he asked and his friend looked up to them with a calmer expression "ok I know this is going to sound crazy but bare with me" he stared and moved so the hatchling was visible "I...I think she's in my head..." Eren tried to explain. Armin and Mikasa just looked at him in confusion "in you head? What are you talking about?" Armin asked. Eren sighed as he tried to piece it all together "I don't really know how to explain it, but, while I was knocked out, I was still conscious, but I was seeing everything from her perspective" Eren gestured to the hatchling as she tried to hide behind him.

Armin and Mikasa both blinked in surprise "Eren, what are you saying?" Mikasa asked with concern and Eren gripped his head and shook it in frustration "I don't know. All I know is what I saw and felt..." Eren trailed off and rubbed his shoulder "and still feeling" he finished. Armin gasped then "wait, are you saying your still experiencing everything that way?" he asked and Eren shook his head "no, everything is normal now...or, mostly normal..." Eren trailed off as he finally noticed that he had this weird feeling in the back of his skull, like a sixth sense. He shook it off though for the time being and refocused on Armin "but I think I'm still feeling her emotions. I know I've been terrified this whole time...mostly of you Mikasa" Eren admitted and Mikasa felt as if she had just been stabbed in the heart. Eren then grunted as he continued rubbing his back, for all the good it did "also I've been feeling pain in a limb I don't have, and it flared up bad when I touched her wing" Eren finished.

Armin's eyes widened "wait, Mikasa you got a hold of it's wing before I got a hold of you" he pointed out, and with those words, Mikasa felt another knife enter her heart. Even though it was unintentional and she was just trying to protect Eren, she had hurt him instead. Mikasa then grimaced as she glared at the floor. She didn't trust that thing hiding behind Eren, she couldn't remember ever seeing Eren in as much pain as when it touched him, but she couldn't do anything to it without hurting Eren, and they couldn't lave it or it might get hurt and Eren would suffer the same.

Mikasa's body relaxed a little and Armin exhaled in relief as he finally felt safe letting her go. Mikasa slumped against the wall in defeat and Armin did the same as his arms began to ache from holding her back. Armin rubbed his face and sighed. His adrenaline was wearing off and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay awake. Armin looked to the little reptile "so your saying your minds are connected" Armin summed up and Eren looked down and rubbed his face as he too started to come down off his adrenaline rush and tried to make sense of everything "I don't know, but it's the only thing that makes sense" he said and Armin nodded "well we're hardly in any condition to be thinking strait, but ether way, there isn't really anything we can do" Armin summed up and Mikasa clenched her fists in frustration. Armin then looked back to Eren "so, I guess that's how you knew it was a girl?" he asked and Eren blinked a few time as he remembered blurting that out. He then looked down at the hatchling and there was no mistaking it. The feelings he was getting from the reptile were defiantly female "yah, I guess so" Eren admitted.

Everything was silent for a long moment "so...what do we do now?" Mikasa asked. Armin yawned "I'm too tired to think and I'm guessing you guys are too" he said, then looked to the hatchling "she doesn't appear to be doing anything else to Eren, and judging by how she's been acting, I'd say she wont hurt Eren again. So we should probably get some sleep and deal with it when we can think strait" Armin advised. Mikasa and Eren both seamed reluctant, for different reasons, but they both relented.

Mikasa cast one last glare at the hatchling before falling asleep. while Armin was out the moment his head hit the shack he'd been using for a pillow. While the others settled in, Eren looked back to the hatchling "it's ok, you can come out now" he said and the hatchling looked up at him with a level of understanding and intelligence in her eyes, that no mere animal could poses. The hatchling eyed Mikasa nervously but slowly came out from behind Eren and climbed up into his lap. Eren stroked her back as she settled in, careful to avoid the wing. Eren would have marveled at the little hatchling, but he was filled with dread as he felt sleep taking him. He knew he would have that horrible nightmare again and keep his friends up. But then, the hatchling seamed to notice Eren's condition and, despite the pain, stretched her wings over him, one covering his face a little "huh, what are you..." Eren trailed off as he felt a warm and comforting sensation wash over him and it felt like his mind was being filed with another, comforting one. As the feeling washed over him, Eren's vision darkened as he fell asleep.

* * *

When Eren opened his eyes, he wasn't in the same dream as before. Everything felt weird, like imagining something without experiencing it fist hand. On some deep level, Eren probably knew he was dreaming, but soon he didn't care, as he looked forward and to his astonishment, he was on the back of a much larger version of the hatchling, sleeping on his lap, and they were high up in the clouds, soaring through the air. Eren's back grazed a cloud and soaked his shirt, most likely do to him sleeping in inch high water, but he didn't care, all he knew in that moment, was that he was happy, and that he wanted to do this for real one day. He wanted to feel this kind of freedom for real.

And so, for the first time in days, Eren had a pleasant dream.

* * *

[Elsewhere]

The sound of metal slicing through flesh, echoed out, fallowed by the thud of a collapsing Titan, and standing on the nape of the neck, was Roy. The Rider looked down at the dead Titan, then the blood evaporating off his sword "so, the nape is a weak spot" he commented, then looked up at more Titans, out in the distance _"well at least we know how to kill them now, without me having to incinerate them"_ Thalia added as she flew down and Roy jumped up into the saddle while she was still in motion and the Dragon took off back to a safe altitude.

Roy looked down at the Titans as they passed. He had learned of the weak spot watching cadets train while he tried to figure out more bout the land he was now stranded in, had hopefully learn there language.

Roy looked back to his Dragon "any luck with mental attacks?" he asked and Thalia gave a frustrated growl _"no, the magic that protects their minds is unlike any I've seen before"_ she answered and Roy gave his own frustrated sigh "well at least we're making some progress. But that's enough experimenting for one day. Let's head back out to the outer wall and resume our search for the egg" Roy said and Thalia eagerly complied.

As they flew, Roy looked back to the Titan he'd just killed. Something about those things disturbed him, aside from being giant, naked cannibals. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was going to find out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Wings Of Freedom**

** Chapter 5**

* * *

"RRRRAAAAHHHH!" Roy yelled with rage as he punched the black void of the lake he had spent the last hour, attempting to scry with.

This was the forth time he had attempted to find the egg by scrying, but once again, it came up a black void. This meant there were four possibilities. One, the egg was warded against scrying, which was impossible here, since the people here didn't use magic. Two, the egg was deep underground, where he couldn't reach it with normal magic, which was the most likely, since apparently there was an enormous underground city here, which Roy stumbled upon during one of his explorations into the cities. Three, the egg hatched for someone and was therefore no longer an egg, but that was the least likely, given where he lost it and the ferocity of the Titans. Or four, the egg had been destroyed. This last possibility would normally be impossible, because of the magic the protects Dragon eggs, but the Shade that chased them here was using powerful magic as well, and could have damaged it, and Roy and Thalia were worried that might be the case.

Roy gazed into the void of the lake for a moment before giving a defeated sigh and fell on his but as he cut the flow of energy to the spell and the lake returned to it's natural, clear blue. Thalia hummed in sadness as she let her head fall to the ground with the rest of her body and Roy could feel her depression. The Rider tried to touch his Dragons mind, but all he got was an image of the egg. Roy sighed and set a hand on her head "we're not giving up Thalia. We'll find it" he reassured her, but he felt her depression and anger flare _"you don't know that! For all we know, the Shade may have-"_

"THALIA!" Roy cut her off before she could sink any deeper "Thalia, we WILL find the egg" Roy swore in the Ancient Language. Thalia's eyes shot wide in response and a plethora of emotions ran through her _"Roy..." _she trailed off. Roy grabbed Thalia's jaws and pulled her head close and looked deep into her eyes "everything will be alright Thalia. We will find the egg, it will hatch for a fine Rider, and when we're ready, we're going back and making the traitors pay for what they've done" he swore.

Thalia stared at Roy for a moment, then gave a hum _"thank you"_ she said as she nuzzled Roy and the Rider hugged her snout. Roy smiled as he felt his Dragon snapping out of her funk. She was still scared out of her mind for the egg, but she was doing better. Roy couldn't help but feel guilty though. If he hadn't been so weak after killing the Shade, then he could have Scryed for the egg immediately and they'd have the egg now. But what was done, was done and all they could do was move forward.

Roy and Thalia felt a static **zap!** in the back of their skulls and Wyvern burst into flames as Roy unsheathed it and turned in the direction the signal from the alarm ward had come from, along with Thalia, who growled at the approaching Titan.

Roy jumped up in Thalia's saddle and she took wing before the Titan could get close "damn it. It would be easier to search if not for those things" Roy cursed and Thalia growled in agreement _"if we could quell their numbers then maybe we could actually make some progress"_ Thalia growled, returning to her old self. Roy hummed and looked to the outer wall "yah, maybe..." he trailed off in thought "Thalia, once we're done searching, let's head back out to the breach and see if there's anything we can do" Roy said and Thalia looked to the wall out in the distance, then up to her Rider _"you have a plan?"_ she asked and Roy hummed "maybe" he answered as they flew.

* * *

[Later With The Others]

Mikasa awoke feeling refreshed and well rested. So naturally, after a few seconds when she realized that she had actually gotten any sleep, meaning Eren hadn't woke her up, she panicked "Er-" Mikasa's cry was cut short by a hand clamping over her mouth and she looked over to see Armin "shh" he whispered and then released her.

Mikasa blinked a few times in confusion as Armin looked to the other side of the cave and Mikasa fallowed his gaze and gasped slightly when she saw Eren "he's finally sleeping" Armin whispered as they watched Eren laying there with the hatchling on his lap. Both of them actually looking peaceful, with a wing stretched out and covering half of Eren's face.

Mikasa just stared for a moment as she processed what was going on. Mikasa was happy that Eren was finally sleeping, but she couldn't help but wonder "why now?" she asked herself. Armin yawned and stretched as he thought over the question, feeling wonderful now that he could actually think strait "you may not like it, but I think it's that thing in his lap that did it" Armin answered.

Mikasa grimaced a little as she glared at the reptile "why would it help him if the first thing it did was hurt him and knock him unconscious?" she growled. Armin looked at Mikasa with worry, then back to the hatchling "your assuming it hurt Eren on purpose" Armin pointed out but Mikasa continued to glare at it "intentional or not, it still hurt Eren badly. I've never seen him in that much pain before" Mikasa shot back. "true, but almost everything, especially human, go through a lot of pain whenever something is born" Armin reasoned.

Mikasa jerked her head around and stared at Armin with wide eyes "Armin! This isn't anything like that, Eren just found it's egg, he didn't give birth to it!" Mikasa shouted, but froze as she heard Eren stirring. They both looked to Eren and sighed in relief as he simply lulled his head to the other side and continued sleeping. Armin then looked to Mikasa "I know perfectly well that's not what happened, but nothing about that thing is normal. I mean, feeling each other's pain and emotions..." Armin trailed off as he tried to rationalize everything "besides, the first thing it did was hide behind Eren when you went after it, and it's stuck with Eren after, so It's clearly imprinted on him. And then there's Eren suddenly getting protective of her, which I suppose might be partially because of their link" Armin summarized.

Mikasa grimaced as she looked to the ground, then to the hatchling. As usual, Armin's logic was undeniable. Mikasa's expression softened a little as she grabbed a piece of her scarf and looked at it as she thought over Armin's words. Mikasa's mind traveled back to the days right after her parents died and Eren's family took her in. Back then she often had nightmares, just like Eren was now, unless she had Eren there with her or the scarf he gave her, which had resulted in her getting heatstroke once because she refused to take it off one day during a heatwave. Not unlike what had happened yesterday.

Mikasa looked back up at the hatchling as she thought everything over _it is helping Eren sleep and hasn't hurt him since the first time, so I guess it might not be that bad_ Mikasa thought, but then her eyes narrowed _but if it does anything else to hurt Eren, then we're finding a way to get rid of it_ She decided and released a sigh of defeat "alright, I guess we don't have any choice but to take it with us" Mikasa relented and Armin smiled as he looked back to Eren and the hatchling "you got to admit, it is beautiful" he commented and Mikasa couldn't help but begrudgingly agree.

Then, as if awoken by the sound of praise, the hatchling's eyes opened and it looked up at them. First it saw Armin and cocked it's head to the side in curiosity while giving a few chirps. But then it saw Mikasa and the hatchling drew back and hunkered in as close to Eren as it could. Then Eren began to stir and he gave a yawn as he stretched his limbs.

Eren blinked a few times and looked around as he got his bearings. Despite still being malnourished, unwashed and wearing worn and tattered clothes, Eren was looking a lot better. Eren then saw his friends "good mor...ning" Eren paused as he realized that it was actually nighttime, and that he had actually slept. Eren then looked down at his lap to see the hatchling sitting there, eyeing Mikasa with fear.

Eren blinked a few times "so...that part wasn't a dream" he said as he looked up to his friends "apparently not" Armin commented as he looked the little reptile over with more detail, then he looked to Eren "so how are you feeling?" he asked. Eren gave another yawn as he stretched again "better" he answered with a smile and his friends sighed with relief. Armin then looked to the hatchling again "what about her? Are you still feeling anything from her?" he asked a little hesitantly.

Eren looked down at the little hatchling as he recalled the events of the previous day "not like before. I can still feel her there, in the back of my head, but it's not nearly as intense as it was when Mikasa was after her" Eren answered as he started stroking the hatchling's back and she started to relax a little and even purred.

Armin put a finger to his chin in thought "fear might have played a hand in that" Armin thought aloud and Mikasa grimaced a little, still feeling conflicted about the little reptile. Any further pondering was put on hold though, as a monstrous growling, erupted in the cave. Everyone clutched their stomachs as their hunger caught up with them again "great, we finally get some descent sleep, only to wake up to this" Eren moaned as his stomach growled. Armin rubbed his eyes as he tried to think of a solution before they starved "Mikasa, you didn't see anywhere we could find food in a hurry before we hid in here did you?" he asked. Mikasa strained to think "sorry Armin, but I was really out of it before and most of the food I saw, we'd have to hunt or was out of reach, but like I said, I was pretty out of it" Mikasa answered and Armin nodded "we've all been out of it, but now maybe we can find something" he said and started to exit the cave.

The others fallowed Armin out, though the hatchling yelped and hid behind Eren when Mikasa got up and the young girl felt a stabbing pain in her chest as Eren seamed to recoil slightly too. Eren shook his head as he fought down the foreign emotions and looked back at the hatchling "hay, wait guys. What do we do about her?" he asked. Armin paused before crawling out of the cave and looked back "we can't leave her behind or she might get hurt and it'll effect you, so I guess we better take her with us" he answered and continued on.

Eren looked between Mikasa and the hatchling for a few seconds, then sighed before looked to the hatchling "alright, come on out, we have to go" he said and to his surprise, the hatchling obeyed as she came out from behind him, though she kept Eren between herself and Mikasa.

The three friends exited the cave and shivered in their wet clothes as the wind blew "well we're still cold and hungry, but at least we're not sleep deprived anymore" Armin said in a slightly joking manner, trying to lighten the mood but it was hard for any of them to laugh with their stomachs killing them and their soaked clothes making the cold, night air even worse.

Eren yelped as the hatchling jumped up on his shoulder and looked around and Eren had no doubt she could see just fine, even in the low light, with the moon behind the clouds. The hatchling then chirped happily and hopped off Eren's shoulder to jump around in the grass and chase bugs and small rodents and Eren shook his head as he felt a bit of her happiness leak over.

The kids watching the hatchling frolic around and trip over herself. Armin would have chuckled at the display if his teeth hadn't been chattering, but he shook it off and looked around him to get his bearings. Armin then gave a defeated groan "I knew it" he said and the others looked to him with concern "what's wrong?" Mikasa asked and Armin pointed to crushed and burned down house "we checked that house for supplies a few days ago. We've been going in circles" Armin told them and they all grimaced.

The hatchling seamed to sense Eren's dread and hopped back up in his shoulder and rubbed against his face while giving a sad purr and draping a wing over him. Eren didn't know why but he couldn't help but feel a little better under her wing, but there impending doom and his aching stomach, snuffed out any comfort he might have felt.

Eren glanced over at the hatchling's face, then looked to his friends "so what do we do now?" he asked. Armin looked over the land one last time "right now we need food, and to warm up before we catch hypothermia" Armin started as he analyzed the situation "Mikasa, you and Eren go and see if can find some food, nuts, berries, anything. I'm going to see if I can get a fire going so we can dry off and warm up" Armin instructed and they set off to there tasks.

As Eren and Mikasa set out, he glanced nervously between her and the hatchling, still perched on his shoulder. Neither one had made a move one way or the other, but Eren could literally feel the tension. The hatchling was more nervous now that it was just the three of them, and Eren caught Mikasa glancing at the hatchling occasionally.

Finally, Mikasa sighed "Eren I'm...I'm sorry that things got out of hand before" she said and Eren looked at her with surprise. Eren then looked down with a thoughtful expression "it's alright, you were just trying to protect me" he said and it was Mikasa's turn to look at Eren in shock "that's not like you Eren" she thought aloud and Eren grimaced as he gripped his hand "you didn't feel what I did when I touched her" he said while looking at the hatchling and she folded her ears back and hunkered down a little, and Eren felt shame coming off of her.

Eren looked back down at the ground as they walked "that was easily the most physically painful thing I've ever experienced. I probably would have reacted the same way if it had happened to you or Armin" Eren admitted. Mikasa blinked with surprise as she watched him and she was relived to know that Eren understood how bad it had been. But Mikasa grew worried as Eren stopped and his eyes widened a little "huh?" he said as he rubbed the spot in his palm where he had first touched the hatchling "what's wrong?" Mikasa asked and Eren looked at his palm and gasped a little "whoa!" he yelped and held his hand a little further away for a second before bringing it in for a closer look.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed a little "Eren, what is it?" she asked, a protective edge to her voice. Eren looked to Mikasa with a bit of concern in his eyes and he gave a hesitant sigh before showing her his palm and Mikasa gasped a little herself when she saw a silver mark on his hand "IT BRANDED YOU!?" Mikasa yelled and the hatchling yelped before jumping off Eren and hiding behind his legs.

Eren waved his hands in front of him in a playacting gesture "whoa, whoa, calm down Mikasa" he said, knowing she was about to loose it again as she glared at the hatchling with furry "calm down? Eren how can you ask that? How can you be ok with any of this?" Mikasa demanded. It was at this point Eren lost his temper again "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I AM!?" he yelled back stunning Mikasa. Eren took a deep breath to calm his nerves as Mikasa stood there a little dumbstruck "I'm not ok with any of this Mikasa. I don't know what's happening to me, what this thing is or why it's happening at all. And on top of that we're on the run from Titans with no food and nowhere near enough sleep" Eren admitted while looking down at the little hatchling hiding behind him "but I do know that there's something special about this little thing, and we can't just leave her behind. I don't know how I know it, but I do" Eren added as he reached down rubbed the hatchling's head a little, causing it to relax a little.

Mikasa stood there in silence for a moment as she processed everything. While Mikasa was still weary of the hatchling, she was actually relived to know Eren was actually concerned about what was going on. Mikasa sighed then "I'm sorry, I just..." Mikasa trailed off but tensed up a little as Eren place a hand on her shoulder " it's alright Mikasa. Just promise me you'll trust me and give her a chance before doing anything drastic" Eren pleaded and Mikasa held his gaze for a moment before glancing down at the hatchling. Mikasa sighed "alright Eren" she relented and Eren smiled a little "thank you, now let's-" Eren was cut off by his stomach growling and he clutched it in pain "find some food" he finished with a grunt.

The hatchling whimpered as she looked up at Eren with worry, but then her eyes became slits as he nostrils flared a little. The hatchling then turned and got low to the ground as she slinked over to some tall grass "what's she doing?" Eren asked as they watched her, then she suddenly pounced into the grass and a rabbit took off. The hatchling chased it for about a foot before tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground. Eren and Mikasa couldn't help but chuckle as the hatchling warbled angrily and seamed to pout "not bad for a first try. If she keeps it up she might actually catch something" Mikasa commented and Eren was a little stunned by the emotions he got from the hatchling and the gleam she seamed to get it her eye as she stalked back into the grass.

Eren shook his head clear of the hatchling's behavior "come on, I think she'll be fine for now. Let's fine something to eat" Eren said and Mikasa nodded in agreement as they started looking around.

* * *

Eren and Mikasa walked back to the bank next to the river where the cave sat and were happy to see the inviting yellow glow of a fire. Armin tossed a few more stick on the fire as he stood there in baggy but dry clothes he had grabbed from the abandoned house not far away. He looked up and waved at them with a smile "hay, any luck?" he called as they quickly went to meat him "hay Armin, and yah, a little" Eren answered as he held out the bottom of his shirt, which he and Mikasa were using as a makeshift basket for the few nuts and berries they found.

Armin looked at the small collection of food. It wasn't much but it was something "well, at least we have something to eat" he said, but then looked around with worry as he realized something "wait, where's the...thing?" he asked and Eren looked at Armin in confusion for a second before he got what Armin was talking about "oh, her? She's a few feet back that way, trying to catch another rabbit" Eren explained, but then his face twitched as if he were about to grimace but fought it down "and it feels like she just blew it again" he added and said rabbit dashed by.

Armin blinked a few time as he watched the rabbit go, then looked behind Eren to see the hatchling grumbling to herself as she moved in their direction "she's been doing that since we started scrounging for food" Mikasa added and Armin nodded "I see, so your still feeling things from her?" Armin asked.

Eren hummed in thought as he dumped the food he'd collected in one of their packs while Mikasa did the same and he munched down on a few of the berries "yah, but it's still not the same as the first time" he said though a mouth full of berries before swallowing "but the further away we are, the weaker the connection seam to get" he admitted "it doesn't go away, but at one point it got to where all I could do was tell she was still alive, and she had a panic attack and latched herself to my leg for a few minuets as soon as it happened" Eren explained.

Armin rubbed his chin as he ate a few barriers himself and they huddled around the fire "interesting, it is nice to know we can at least figure out how some of this stuff works" he said and Eren nodded in agreement. Eren suddenly perked up a little "she's at it again" he said but hummed a little in thought _strange, it feels different this time_ Eren though in confusion. Eren froze then before putting another berry in his mouth. He felt joy and pride wash over him and he thought he tasted a hint of blood. Mikasa noticed Eren's pause "you ok?" she asked and Eren's head jerked around as he realized what was going on "I think she caught something" he said and the others looked at him in surprise.

They fallowed Eren gaze to see the hatchling trotting up to them with a spring in her step, and once she reached the fire, they saw a rat hanging limp in her mouth. The hatchling trotted up to Eren and set the rat down next to him and looked up at him expectantly "wow, she actually got something. Not bad for something that's only a day old" Armin said and Eren nodded in agreement as he scratched the hatchling behind her ear and she leaned into it with a purr "yah, not bad" he said and the hatchling chirped happily at the praise. But then the hatchling did something Eren didn't expect. It nudged the rat towards him.

The three kids watched with wide eyes as the hatchling offered Eren her rat "I don't know what's more disturbing. The fact that she want's me to eat a rat, or that I'm actually tempted" Eren admitted as his stomach rumbled at the possibility of meat. Eren shook himself out of it though "you know what, you go ahead. Your the one who caught it, and you...actually you've never eaten before have you" Eren realized. The hatchling looked a little conflicted at first but eventually ate the rat with gusto and Eren was glad to have the temptation to eat the rat gone.

Armin chuckled a little "yah, I guess we need to factor her into our meals now too" he said as he watched her devoured the rat "but at least she'll be able to catch her own food as she gets older and maybe even a little for us" Armin added as the hatchling finished. The hatchling then cleaned herself off a little but then her attention turned to the river and she hunkered down and slunk to the bank "I guess she's still hungry" Mikasa noted as the hatchling pounced into the water and after flailing around for a bit, she came up with a small fish in her jaws.

Eren gawked at the hatchling as she bit down as hard as her young jaw muscles would allow and her baby teeth sunk in just enough to finish off her prey. The hatchling trotted back up to Eren and again set her catch next to him, but instead of waiting for more praise she rubbed up against him like a cat, before trotting back to the water.

Eren watched her tracking more fish and smiled "I guess fish are easier" he said, then looked down at the fish sitting next to him and a little drool came to the corner of his mouth "Armin, you wouldn't happen to have an extra stick would you?" he asked and looked up to see Armin already had one out "already on it!" he said excitedly and after Mikasa cut it's guts out, they stuck the fish over the fire to cook while the hatchling hunted for another.

* * *

Eren and his friends gave content sighs as they relaxed by the fire. For the first time in days, the three of them felt good. They were still deep in Titan territory with little to no hope of escape, but they were still alive and they weren't starving or sleep deprived "that was the best fish I've had in a long time" Eren said as he sat there and stroked to scales of the little hatchling in his lap. She had caught four more fish, one of which she also ate, much to the amazement of the three Humans, considering that the rat she ate was at least half her size. Now the little hatchling was tired from her hunting and was resting contently on Eren's lap.

Armin took the stick he had cooked his fish on and prodded the fire with it a little "I know what you mean, though I think any cooked food would test like the best after the time we've had" he commented and looked over at the sleeping hatchling "who'd of thought finding a rock floating down a stream would help this much?" he said with a smile and Eren chuckled a little "yah, I'd still like to know what she is though" he said and Armin hummed as he thought back to his book "sorry, but I don't think my book talked about anything like that" he admitted with a disappointed sigh.

Eren mirrored his friend as he looked down at the hatchling. Mikasa hummed in thought as she watched them and an old memory came to her "actually...I might know something" she said and the others looked to her with surprise "really?" Armin asked and Mikasa looked down as painful memories accompanied the relevant ones "my mom..." she started and the others grew tense. Mikasa didn't talk about her parents much, it was often too painful for her, even after all this time.

Eren eyed Mikasa worriedly "Mikasa, you don't have to-"

"It's ok Eren" Mikasa interrupted him, though she didn't look particularly ok. Mikasa took a breath as she forced down the bad memories, then looked to her friends "my mom used to tell me stories that our family had passed down since the walls went up. Most of it was in a different language though so a lot was lost, but a few mentioned creatures similar to her" Mikasa explained while gesturing to the hatchling "they were a little different, more snake like, but similar. I think she called them Ryū or a Tatsu, but I'm not sure what they mean in our language. Apparently they were water spirits or something like that and were revered as good omens" Mikasa finished.

Eren and Armin were quiet for a moment as they thought over what Mikasa told them "well aside from being snake like, it seams to match up so far" Armin commented and Eren nodded "yah, that and the weird mind stuff" he added, half jokingly as he gazed down at the hatchling.

The firewood crumbled in on it's self catching Eren's attention. His eyes shot wide with fear though as he realized something "oh crap! How long have we been out here!?" he asked with worry "relax Eren, I've been keeping track of the time while we've been sitting here and we still have time before the sun comes up. Plus I spotted a place where we can hold up while I was looking for firewood and I think we might be able to spend a few days there instead of packing up and leaving immediately after" Armin informed them and after looking at him in shock for a moment, Eren and Mikasa relaxed "guess you thought of everything while we were gone" Eren commented and Armin rubbed the back of his head "it was nothing. It makes a difference when you're able to think strait" he played it off "anyway, I guess we better get going if we want to get there with time to spare" he said and started gathering up his things.

Eren and Mikasa fallowed suit as they got up and Eren couldn't help but smile a little as he set the hatchling over his shoulders and she fell right back asleep. For the first time in days, Eren had hope. it was just a little, but it was there. They had survived it Titan territory in spite of it all, and they were still going, and as they set out after Armin's lead, Eren looked up to the clouds blowing by in the sky and his dream came back to him for a moment. Eren then looked forwards at his friends and Wall Rose in the distance with determination _we're going to make it_ he thought as he fallowed Armin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wings Of Freedom**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

The sun shown down on the open plains as the grass flowed in the breeze. Birds and other small animal darted back and forth while cows and larger animals roamed calmly, with no concern for the Titans walking about them. However, among the tall grass, there was a metallic glimmer as the grass swayed and in a flash and a blur of red and silver, a poor rabbit was crunched between two powerful jaws with a panicked squeak.

The four day old Dragon let the rabbit fall to the ground so she could give a small but triumphant roar at her first successful rabbit hunt. The hatchling then grabbed the rabbit and took off towards a group of giant trees and though it payed her no mind, the Dragon gave a wondering Titan a wide berth and bounded up to a tree with a hole at it's base.

The Dragon squeezed through the small hole and into a surprisingly spacious hollow in the tree and was greeted by the smiling face of her Rider and his friends. The hatchling squeaked happily through the rabbit in her mouth and pounced at her Rider, rapping herself around his neck "wow!" Eren yelped as he fell back against the wall. The dragon had grown impossibly fast over the past few days and was now the size of a small dog.

After regaining his balance, Eren looked to the hatchling and chuckled "I missed you too" he said and the Dragon gave a happy chirp and hopped down. She then set her rabbit on the ground in front of her Rider "hay, you caught a rabbit" he said excitedly and the hatchling gave another happy but small roar.

Armin kneeled down and picked up the rabbit while petting the Dragon "nice going. It'll be nice to have something other then just fish and berries" he said but the Dragon gave him a small growl "n-not that there's anything wrong with fish" Armin stuttered nervously, but quirked an eyebrow in confusion as the hatchling gave an odd sound and Eren started chuckling "I think she was just massing with you Armin" Eren explained and Armin's eyes widened as he realized the hatchling was laughing.

Armin blinked as he stood up "this thing is way too smart to be a normal animal" he commented. Mikasa then waked over and grabbed the rabbit "I think we've already established that she isn't a normal animal" she added and the hatchling stopped and hunkered down as she moved away from Mikasa. Even after four days stuck with her in a tree, the hatchling was still scared of Mikasa and it was starting to annoy Eren.

Eren set that problem aside for the moment however and turned his attention back to his friends "so will this be enough to last us for the trip?" he asked and Armin turned to their packs and the supplies they had gathered "yah, this should last us until we reach that cave we spotted. We're just lucky that the Titans don't bother her" he answered while gesturing to the Dragon. Eren sighed as he looked out the hole in the side of the tree "I just hope it's bigger then this tree" he said and Armin nodded in agreement "yah, it is pretty cramped in here, and it's not really that safe from the Titans if one small enough to fit between the trees comes around" Armin admitted. He then looked up with worry as a creek went through the tree "and I'm not sure how much longer this tree will last. It's pretty old" he added.

Mikasa pulled the drawstring on her pack tight "it only needs to last until tonight, we'll be long gone after that" she said. Eren nodded numbly as he watched a Titan walk past "yah, just until tonight" he said as the Titan walked by and he gazed out past it at Wall Rose.

The hatchling noticed Eren's state and jumped up on his shoulders and rubbed her face against his, forcing him to smile and scratch her behind her ear "thanks" he said then paused as he gave a thoughtful hum "Karry?" he said but the hatchling huffed at him and hopped off, intentionally hitting him in the head with her tail as she did. Eren groaned while Armin chuckled a little "she shot you down again?" he said and Eren grumbled as he watched the hatchling sit with her back to him, radiating humor at his expense "I swear, finding a name she'll respond to is impossible" Eren complained as he glared at the hatchling "I'm sure you'll figure something out eventually" Armin said as he started getting his supplies in order.

Eren sighed as he started going over their supplies too. He then looked out the tree again at the distance they had to travel "one thing's for sure. No one could be as bad off as we are" Eren commented.

* * *

[Wall Maria, Several Miles From Shiganshina]

Roy lay painting on his back, atop the wall with Thalia next to him in the same condition "no one could possibly be as bad off as we are right now" The Rider wheezed as he gripped his side and clenched his bloodshot eye. Thalia whimpered next to him _"how the hell did this happen? How does that thing even exist?"_ she moaned as she snaked her head around and started licking her wounds.

Roy groaned as he sat up "isn't it obvious. It's no coincidence that thing was right below where we killed the Shade that chased us here" Roy said as he looked out to Shiganshina "one thing's for certain though. We can't fight that thing alone, especially not me" Roy groaned in frustration as he traced the scar over his eye. Thalia growled as she eyed the scar, then looked back to Shiganshina as well _"and we can't seal the breach as long as it's there"_ she added and Roy grimaced as he turned his attention to Wall Rose "and we can't looked for the egg if we're constantly on the lookout for those things. Which means we only have one option left" Roy finished.

Thalia fallowed his gaze _"indeed. It is time"_ she said but rather then get up, she winced and turned back to her wounds _"but first we need to recover"_ she admitted bitterly and Roy shared her feelings on the matter "it seams like all we've done since getting here is recover" he spat as he began healing there injuries.

* * *

[Later, With The Others]

Crickets chirped as the moon rose in the sky and was interrupted by the sound of a Titan crashing to the ground as it passed out from lack of sunlight.

Not far away, Eren watched the Titan fall from inside the tree "ok, that was the last one" he said and squeezed his way through the hole, followed by his Dragon and his friends. Eren looked around for any Titans he might have missed, while his Dragon perched on his shoulder and did the same "alright, the coast is clear" he said and Armin walked out into the open and scanned the horizon "alright, the cave is in that direction. We should be able to make it there with time to spare before the sun comes up" he said and Mikasa hefted her pack over her shoulder "let's get moving then" she said and took the lead.

The Dragon on Eren's shoulder yelped and jumped off to hide behind him, causing Eren to loose his balance a little. Eren groaned as he glared between the two _this can't go on much longer_ he thought with frustration. It wasn't just that the Dragon didn't like being around Mikasa, but her emotions were effecting Eren too, making him somewhat afraid of Mikasa and it was was driving him crazy _we're definitely sitting down and dealing with this once we get settled_ Eren thought as he fell in line behind Armin, with his Dragon right at his side.

* * *

After a long trek, the group finally saw their destination. A shear drop from a small plateau with a small cave, high up in the side. It was an odd brake in the monotony of the landscape, which mostly consisted of ether wide open planes or dense forests.

Yet in spite of the good news that they were nearly at their destination, Eren groaned irritably. the tension between his Dragon and Mikasa was hitting an unusual high that he hadn't seen since the Dragon first hatched. Eren suspected that Mikasa was getting tired of the Dragon freaking out around her and him reacting in kind, do to their link, which was driving him crazy as well, and in response to Eren's discomfort, the little reptile was getting more nervous around Mikasa.

Eren's eye twitched as they walked and his Dragon's emotions spilled over and his frustration fed her nerves in return. The small group was turning into a powder keg and Armin was all too aware of it and he sweated a little "come on guys, just a little bit further" he urged them onward but received only grunts of acknowledgment from the others as they bottled up their frustration _please just hold out till we reach the cave _Armin prayed as they continued on.

The group continued for a little while, until Armin brought them to a stop "ok, we'll have to be careful for this part" he warned as they all peered over the edge of a small ravine, that stood between them and safety.

They all lined up and on the edge and looked down as some rocks came loose and fell to the bottom "it's not as deep as i though it would be" Eren commented "it's deep enough that we probably wouldn't be able to climb back out if we fell" Armin warned before moving right, along the edge.

Armin came up on a log that bridged the gap the gap and he gave an experimental shove, to make sure it was still sturdy "ok, let's go ahead and cross" he called as he started balancing his way across, with the others in tow.

Eren practically held his breath as he tried to ignore the tension between the Dragon on his shoulder and the girl fallowing closely behind. So far they had made it half way across and that's when the log shifted "whoa!" they all yelped as they struggled to regain their balance and Mikasa grabbed Eren's shoulder to steady herself.

And that's when the powder keg went off...

The hatchling shrieked in fear as it shifted away from her, causing Eren to loose his balance and Eren, not having the time or focus to separate his emotions from her's, pulled away from Mikasa, which caused her to loose balance again and Eren to bump into Armin.

This domino effect nearly continued but Armin miraculously managed to regain his balance and grabbed Eren before he could fall and Eren in turn, managed to snap out of it and grab Mikasa while the hatchling fell off his shoulder and latched herself to the log with her claws.

Everyone stood absolutely still, aside from their heavy breathing, as they all balanced there "whoa. That was too close" Armin breathed a sigh of relief. His words were poorly time however, as he heard Mikasa growling with anger "what was that about!?" she yelled and Eren glared back at her "hay it wasn't my fault!" he yelled back "I know that, but I also know who's it is!" Mikasa seethed while glaring at the hatchling.

Eren's anger flared even higher in response as he pulled away from her and stared her down "don't you bring her into this!" he yelled and Armin paled as the log slightly shifted again "uh, guys can we talk about this later?" he hesitantly asked but his word went unheeded "she's already a part of this Eren! She nearly got us killed!' Mikasa yelled "well maybe if you hadn't gone homicidal on her right after she hatched, we wouldn't be in this situation!" Eren yelled back.

Armin felt helpless as all the stress and frustration they had been bottling up, came spilling out "guys, come on, we need to move!" he warned, but again went unheard "well what did you expect me to do!? It might have been trying to kill you for all I knew!"

"And so you just jumped in without thinking!?"

"Your one to talk!"

Eren was seething and looked like he strangle Mikasa with is bare hands but Armin looped his arms under Eren's and pulled him back"enough! We don't have time for this!" he yelled, loosing his temper too.

Everyone suddenly went still though as the log shifted "what-" Eren's words were cut short by the log falling a few feet before catching on the rocks again and he and Armin stumbled back while Mikasa and the Dragon stumbled the other way.

In that moment, all the anger and rage evaporated as Eren and Mikasa locked eyes with each other and they both knew what was about to happen.

The log fell loose "EREN!"

"MIKASA!" they both screamed as they fell into the dark shadows of the ravine.

* * *

**A/N -** Bump Bump Buuuum! Cliffhanger!

Sorry if this one was a little short but I haven't had the chance to wright much since my family commandeered my computer. Thank you to all who have stuck with my story so far. Please review, I really enjoy feedback so I can improve the story. Also, any Inheritance Cycle info you could send my way would be amazing.

As always, happy reading and happy holidays.


	7. Chapter 7

**Wings Of Freedom**

** Chapter 7**

* * *

Darkness...

Darkness and pain...

That's all Mikasa felt as she returned to consciousness "ugh" she groaned as she opened her eyes to the darkness that surrounded her, down at the bottom of the ravine. The young girl pushed herself up and some rubble fell off her and she gripped her side in pain. Everything hurt and she could barely see "w-where..." she trailed off in confusion as she sat up on her knees. Then her eyes shot wide as she remembered what happened "EREN!?" she called out as she looked around frantically and tried to stand, only to fall back to her knees as pain gripped her.

A small, panicked roar, echoed through the ravine and Mikasa looked over to see Eren's Dragon, frantically clawing at the walls and searching everywhere for her rider.

Mikasa scowled at the hatchling as she forced herself up "you..." she said darkly and the hatchling looked at her with terror "if it weren't for you..." Mikasa strained out as she staggered towards the Dragon who frantically looked for an escape. Mikasa tripped and had to support herself against a wall as she looked upon the Dragon with murderous eyes and the hatchling hunkered down as far away from her as it could, which wasn't far.

Mikasa looked upon the Dragon with furry "if it weren't for you! Then we wouldn't be in this mess! I wouldn't have..." Mikasa's furry trailed off into something else as pain began to overtake her anger "I wouldn't have...We wouldn't have...oh Eren, I'm sorry" Mikasa broke down and began to cry as the reality of the situation dawned on her and she collapsed on the floor.

The hatchling watched Mikasa with confusion, but still remained hunkered down as Mikasa sobbed "I'm sorry Eren. If I had just kept my mouth shut, we would be safely across by now. But now I don't even know if you're alive" she cried as she sat there, bruised and bleeding. Mikasa's face then hardened though as she forced herself to sit up "but I made it, which means you might have too" she said with hope and looked back to the hatchling. She still felt like ripping it's head off, but she had enough sense not to hurt her like the first time and she was too injured to take her anger out on anything but herself at the moment.

Mikasa spared one last glance at the terrified hatchling before turning her attention to her surroundings. They were boxed in by two shear walls on ether side and rubble on the remaining two, leaving them very little room and very little moonlight made it this far down.

Mikasa looked up to the star filled sky, far above "Eren!" she called out "Eren, can you hear me! Eren!" she called some more, but was greeted with only her echo as a reply. Mikasa grimaced in response "Eren, please be alright" she prayed as she looked up to the sky.

* * *

"Mikasa! Mikasa can you hear me!" Eren called out from the other side of the ravine, he would have called for his Dragon too, if she had a name to call.

Armin grunted with pain from where he sat "we must have been knocked pretty far from each other" he said before hissing in pain and gripping his broken right arm. Eren turned back to him with a look of guilt and went over to him, despite his anxiety from being cut off from his Dragon "I'm sorry Armin. If I hadn't started arguing, then this never would have happened" Eren apologized as he knelt next to Armin and checked the belt tied around his arm to stop the bleeding.

Armin winced but then gave a weak smile "hay, we've all been getting real stressed lately. Even I lost my temper a little up there" he said and Eren just stared at him in amazement. It truly amazed Eren that his friend could be so positive and considerate, even in this kind of situation.

Armin grunted as he tried to stand up but only yelped in pain as he fell back down. Eren caught him before he could hit the ground "whoa, you ok Armin?" he asked and Armin grimaced as he looked down to his right leg "no, I think my lag might be broken too" he strained out and Eren looked at him with worry "maybe you should rest for a while" Eren suggested but Armin shook his head "no, we don't have time. If my leg really is broken, then I won't recover enough before the sun comes up" he explained as he tried to pull himself up a little "look, there's a path up that way. We can make our way up and search for Mikasa, but we need to hurry" Armin explained before hissing in pain.

Eren grimaced as he observed Armin's injured state "alright Armin, just lean on me for support" Eren relented and Armin yelped in pain again as he shifted his weight to lean on Eren. Armin then took a shaky breath as he road out the waves of pain, washing over him "ok, I think I'm ready" he said and they started climbing the path, Armin making pained grunts with each step.

Eren glanced at Armin with sympathy with each agonizing step _just hold on Armin_ he thought as they walked. Eren then glanced back the other way, where he thought he could faintly feel his dragon _I hope her and Mikasa are doing better then us._

* * *

Mikasa grunted in pain as she tried to climb up to a ledge but couldn't find a place to grip onto next. Mikasa then grunted as some rocks shifted beneath one of her feet, causing her to fall a little "come on!" she strained out, then the rocks under her feet, fell away and she dropped like a sack of potatoes. Mikasa yelped as she hit the ground and curled into a ball to protect herself from the falling rocks.

A long moment passed and Mikasa just remained curled up in pain before finally pulling her head out and looking up at the ledge, far out of reach "damn it" she coursed and sat up. She then heard more rocks falling and looked over at the other side of the ravine to see the hatchling falling in much the same manner Mikasa had. The hatchling curled up to protect it's self from the falling rocks, then looked up and roared with rage at the wall she had attempted to climb and jumping back up, only to fall right back down and roll into the middle of their little prison and whimper in pain.

In spite of her dislike of the little reptile, Mikasa couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for it. They were both stuck in the same situation, both in pain and both trying to get back to Eren.

Mikasa grimaced at her conflicted emotions as she watched the hatchling lay there in pain and defeat. She then huffed as she pulled herself back to her feet and reluctantly walked over to check on the hatchling. The hatchling panicked though when it saw her and tried to scramble away, only to squeak in pain and limp away instead.

Mikasa frowned and felt her rage building as the reptile limped away and hunkered down. The girl growled in frustration "what is with you!? Even when I'm trying to help, you run away!" she fumed and fell back to the floor. Mikasa then scowled at the floor as she did the one thing she had been avoiding since Wall Maria fell.

Think.

Even when they were relatively safe and had time to rest, Mikasa always focused on the next task, the next goal needed to survive. Otherwise she would think about everything that was happening around her and everything she had lost. So as she sat there, physically and emotionally exhausted, all she could do was think and reflect on everything that had happened.

First came the pain and the tears as she clenched her fists so hard that her nails nearly drew blood.

Then came the anger as her eyes became murderous and she shed hot tears as she cursed the cruelty of the world she lived in.

Then came the sorrow, and Mikasa pulled her legs up to her chest and berried her head in her knees and felt the pain from all the cuts and bruises, throb and stab at her from every angle "why...why is the world so cruel?" she whispered as all her pain came out.

Mikasa didn't know how long she had been down there or how long she just sat there curled up. But as she sat there and thought and replayed everything that had happened to them, she started to feel an unusual calm and clarity, come over her. One she hadn't felt in a long time, since the day Eren saved her.

Mikasa slowly looked up to the sky as her body suddenly stopped shaking and her pain dulled to a imperceptible ache. Mikasa gazed up at the stars and an unnatural sense of clarity dawned on her _we've beaten the odds so far and survived out here in Titan territory. Something even the Military can't claim to have achieved. So why am I giving up now?_ she asked herself.

Mikasa then looked to the hatchling, curled up in a ball and shaking as she whimpered. Then Mikasa's eyes widened slightly as she suddenly realized that, as bad as it was for her to be separated from Eren like this, it must be a thousand times worse for the poor little Dragon, given how she reacted when separated from him and the one time she had been cut off from him. Mikasa then pondered their time with the little hatchling and her hatred of it now seamed pointless and even bordering on idiotic to the girl. She still believed her initial reaction to it was justified but the rest was just stubbornness and stupidity.

Mikasa was pulled from her thoughts by her stomach rumbling, it had been some time since she had eaten anything and so she reached over to where her pack was laying, thankful that it had survived the fall. As she dug around in her pack, she found the rabbit that the hatchling had caught and Mikasa's mind wandered back to her. Most of their meat had been caught by the hatchling, they probably wound have starved long ago if not for her. Mikasa then glanced over at the hatchling _she's probably hungry too_ she thought and looked back down at the rabbit and felt more then a little guilt over how she had treated the hatchling and the part she played in them falling down her.

Mikasa then heaved a sigh _this may not get us out of her, but at least I can try to make things right_ she thought as she stood up and walked over to the hatchling, who's head was tucked under it's wing, meaning it didn't see her coming and she appeared to ether be asleep or too focused on her pain to hear Mikasa walking over.

Mikasa stopped with two feet between them and kneeled down and then cleared her throat to get the hatchling's attention. The hatchling stiffened and slowly brought her head out from under her wing. As Mikasa expected, the hatchling shrieked and scurried back against the wall. Mikasa just stayed where she was with a blank expression on her face as the hatchling eyed her with fear and they stayed that way for a moment. Then Mikasa set down the rabbit and slid it across the stone floor to about halfway between her and the Dragon, then she backed up a little.

The hatchling looked between Mikasa and the Rabbit with utter bewilderment, but then, after a long pause, she slowly began to move closer to the rabbit and began dragging it back to her. The whole time, her eyes never once left Mikasa, who simply sat there with the same blank expression. The hatchling then began eating the rabbit while keeping an eye on Mikasa and the girl in turn, began eating some berries.

Once the rabbit was gone, the two just stared at each other, the Dragon looked absolutely perplexed by the whole situation. The Dragon then flinched as Mikasa took a deep breath through her nose and let out a heavy sigh "I'm sorry" she finally spoke, plainly and bluntly.

The Dragon seamed surprised by this but Mikasa didn't notice as her eyes were downcast "this is probably pointless telling you this, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry I tried to kill you after what happened between you and Eren. I though you were trying to hurt him and I just wanted to keep him safe, and then when you started being scared of me and Eren started feeling the same because of it, I hated you for it because..." Mikasa paused as she looked up to the sky "because Eren means everything to me...he was all I had for a long time after my family was murdered, and even now, he still means everything to me. He's the only reason why I'm still alive...and continue to go on living" she confessed, not just to the Dragon but to herself as well.

Mikasa didn't know why but it felt amazing to finally say those words aloud. It was like a missive weight had been lifted off her, and as she gazed up into the sky, pondering her own confession, the hatchling stared at her with wide eyes and far more comprehension and understanding then a mere animal. A long moment passed with nothing happening, but then the hatchling hesitantly began to move.

Mikasa sat there on her knees, just staring up at the sky, deep in thought. Then her eyes flew wide as she suddenly felt something on her lap. Mikasa then looked down to see the hatchling, with her paws up on her lap and staring up at her. Mikasa blinked with surprise as she looked deep into the hatchling's eyes and it into her's. Then, Mikasa slowly extended her legs and the hatchling climbed up into her lap and curled up.

Mikasa was speechless as she looked down at the hatchling and began stroking it's back, earning a purr. Mikasa then smiled as she finally looked at the Dragon in a way she hadn't since it first hatched, before bonding with Eren. Mikasa took in it's beauty and how it's scales sparkled with it's beautiful colors. It truly was an amazing creature.

Mikasa's musings were cut short by some rubble falling and they both looked up to see some rats, running along a small crevasse and around the rubble, blocking them in.

Mikasa's eyes suddenly flew wide as her moment of clarity, allowed her to formulate a plan "I know how to get out" she whispered and the hatchling suddenly looked up at her. Mikasa then looked down at the hatchling with hope in her eyes "I know how we can get out of here" she said, clearly this time and the hatchling suddenly jumped to it's feet.

Mikasa walked over to the wall and looked up a the crevasse, then back to the hatchling "it's just big enough" she muttered as she kneeled down "climb on" she instructed and the hatchling hesitated for only a moment before hopping up on Mikasa's back. The girl then began to climb as close to the crevasse as she could "ok, now climb up" she said and the hatching did so, squeezing into the small crevasse.

Mikasa then climbed down and looked up at the hatching, who was looking down at her expectantly "ok now go all the way over that way. Once there, pull out the third rock up and jump away as fast as you can" she explained. Mikasa knew it was a little crazy, giving such comprehensive instructions to what, as far as she knew, was a simply animal, but the hatchling had shown an incredible level of comprehension so far and Mikasa didn't really have a better option.

And yet the hatchling did as she was told, wiggling her was over and then searching for the proper rock. It took a few tries but eventually she found it and, after a few tugs, the rock came loos, and with it, several other and a large bolder began to fall.

The hatchling squeaked and jumped towards Mikasa, it's underdeveloped wings snapping open and catching just enough air to carry her into Mikasa waiting arms. The two then looked back to see all the rubble falling away and once the dust cleared, they had a clear path up and out.

Mikasa smiled while the hatchling gave a victorious roar and Mikasa looked at her with a smile "good work" she said and the hatchling chirped happily in reply. The hatchling then jumped down and up to the new path but paused to look back at Mikasa expectantly and gestured with her head for Mikasa to fallow.

Mikasa blinked with surprise but just shook it off as she fallowed the hatchling out and they began their climb.

* * *

And they climbed and climbed, along treacherous and twisting paths. Along the way, Mikasa noticed that the hatchling would stop for a moment and look around, like she was searching for something _she's probably searching for Eren_ Mikasa realized as she figured the hatchling could probably sense where he was, once they were close enough and there wasn't too much rock in the way.

As they went though, Mikasa noticed color coming back to the sky as the stars faded. The sun would be up soon and they need to get out before then, and to make matters worse, they hadn't seen any trace of Eren or Armin.

Fortunately, they were pretty close to the top and only one more climb remained. The hatchling jumped up on Mikasa's shoulders as she got ready to start climbing the wall, but then the hatchling suddenly looked up with excitement and roared. Mikasa was confused for a second but suddenly she felt the strangest sensation, as if another mind had touched her own _"hay! Can you hear me!?"_ a voice called out from inside Mikasa's head. Mikasa was so stunned by it, not only was the voice inside her head but it sounded so familiar. Mikasa's eyes then shot wide, it was Eren's voice, just how he heard it, going though his skull before reaching his ears proper when he speaks "EREN!?" she called back as the hatchling roared.

There was a brief pause "Mikasa!?" Eren called back with surprise "how did you...nevermind, just get up here quick!" he called down and Mikasa began climbing vigorously.

Mikasa reached the top and pulled herself up to see Eren, supporting a beaten and bleeding Armin "Mikasa!" he called out with relief and joy "Eren!' Mikasa called back as the hatchling jumped off her shoulders and ran to Eren and latched herself to his leg. Mikasa quickly climbed up and ran to him and hugged him too "ow, ow, ow!" Armin yelped in pain at the sudden shift in weight "oh, sorry Armin" Mikasa said as she let go and took in Armin's injuries "it's ok, but we need to move fast, the sun's almost up" Armin said through gritted teeth.

Eren looked up at the sky that was now quickly gaining color "right, we need to move" he said and looked down at the hatchling getting ready to dislodge her, but the hatchling let go of him, sensing the need to run and started in the direction of the cave they were headed for. Mikasa moved to the other side of Armin and lifted his other side, causing the boy to make a strangled sound of barely contained pain "I'm sorry Armin but we need to move fast" Mikasa apologized as Eren lifted him up so they were practically carrying him and they ran.

They ran for all they were worth as light began to return to the world "hurry!" Eren yelled as they got to the cliff and began to climb up as best they could while helping Armin.

The first rays of light, began to peek over the wall and after a few moments, Eren gasped as he heard a thud and glanced back to see a Titan starting to wake up "oh shit!" he cursed and redoubled his efforts to climb as the Titan stood up and started making it's way towards them.

They were moving to slow with Armin in his current condition and the Titan was getting closer. They were nearly out of it's reach when another loud thud was heard, much closer and sending up dust, forcing them to pause in their efforts. Then Eren looked down with a gasp and a horrified look as he saw the Titan's grinning face as it tried to climb up after them.

The Titan slowly began reaching for them and Eren couldn't do anything but watch in horror as it go closer. But then a tiny roar, echoed out and the next thing Eren knew, a small red and silver reptile was colliding with the Titan's face, causing it to loose it's already questionable grip on the cliff and fall as the baby Dragon clawed it's eyes out.

Just before hitting the ground, the hatchling jumped off and glided back to the cliff where she grabbed on, and once the dust had cleared from the Titan hitting the ground and the Earth stopped shaking, the hatchling started scrambling back up.

The kids were stunned by what happened, but quickly started climbing again and reached the top and they pulled Armin up into the cave.

The kids all limped away from the opening and collapsed against a wall and panted "that...what too close" Armin got out between gasps for breath. The kids then looked over and saw the hatchling, trying to claw it's way up. Mikasa stood up and walked over to her and the hatchling eagerly excepted the aid, climbing up on her shoulders.

Mikasa looked at the hatchling and gave a small smile "thank you" she said while scratching under the Dragon's chin. Mikasa then looked down at the blinded Titan as it stumbled around. She also saw a few others walk up to the cave and try vainly to climb but they all fell.

Mikasa breathed a sigh of relief "finally safe" she muttered then turned to walk back in but paused when she saw the wide eyed look Eren was giving her "I see you too have worked out your issues" Armin grunted out and Mikasa looked back to the Dragon "yah, I guess we have" she said simply but the Dragon chirped tiredly but happily.

Mikasa then walked back over to the others and sat down next to Eren. The hatchling then stretched out and collapsed, half on Eren's lap, half on Mikasa's, completely exhausted.

Eren looked down at his Dragon with such relief, then to Mikasa and was amazed and overjoyed to no longer be fighting the hatchling emotions around her. In fact he felt safer around Mikasa then ever.

Eren then leaned his head back with an exhausted sigh, then he started chuckling. The others gave him funny looks for a moment before they started chuckling too and eventually it became full blown laughter, minus Armin, who was in too much pain to do more then chuckle.

Eren then looked at Mikasa with a serious expression "hay Mikasa" he started hesitantly, to which Mikasa hummed in response. Eren then rubbed his aching shoulder "I'm...sorry about what happened over the ravine" he said and Mikasa was quiet for a moment "no, I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately" she replied and Eren looked at her with surprise "I still think I was justified the first time, but everything after...I'm sorry" Mikasa apologized.

Eren just stared at Mikasa for a moment, but then smiled and rested his head against the wall "it's alright. We've all had it rough these past few days" he said as they all sat there and rested for a moment.

Mikasa then remembered something though and looked at Eren "what was that you did before though?" she asked and Eren looked at her with a raised eyebrow "back before we climbed out of the ravine. I think I heard you calling out, inside my head" Mikasa explained and Eren grew a contemplative look as he remembered "I was-"

"Err!" Eren was interrupted by Armin's pained grunts "Armin!" Eren called as he got up to check on him "I'll explain later. Right now we have bigger problems" he said and Mikasa nodded in agreement as they tended to Armin.

* * *

[Elsewhere]

"Damn it! Why can't we catch a fucking brake!?" Roy yelled from the top of wall Maria as he punched the ground repeatedly, his Dragon growling in agreement behind him _"we are surrounded by enemies. One we cannot fight for lack of strength and one we cannot fight because of conspiracy"_ she fumed with a huff of smoke through her nostrils.

The Rider looked up at the wall in the distance with rage "I take back what I said. This is far worse then anything with Vroengard and the Order! These cowards aren't just worried about preserving the status quo. They WANT their people to live in fear of these monsters! They're even willing to sabotage their own military to do it!" he vented as memories of they saw and what he witnessed inside the MP's mind, came back to him.

Thalia growled as she bored holes in the wall with her eyes _"and we can't request or offer aid, lest the cowards turn on their own protectors"_ said with distain.

Roy looked to the walls with rage, but then it gradually shifted into cold determination "we will set this right. We'll find a way to put an end to this sick game the royalty here is plying with it's people" he declared as he clenched his fists and a fire burned in his eyes.

The Rider and his Dragon would return and when they did, there would be hell to pay.

* * *

**A/N **-** BANG! **(author slamming his head on the desk and passing out) I can't believe I actually got this out before Thanksgiving, but given my update schedule or rather the lack there of, it didn't seam right leaving everyone on a cliff hanger.

On a side note, I was reading back through some of this story and noticed quite a few spelling errors and a mistake with which Wall it was back in chapter one so I'm gonna focus on fixing those for the time being, and to any Grammar Nazis out there, please hit me with your best shot, I don't like leave those kinds of mistakes in my stories.

Also a fun fact. Peoples' voices sound different to themselves then what others hear. This is caused because the sound is going through your head and reaching your ears first, before you hear it from the outside. Just listen to any recording of yourself and you'll see. In this story, all telepathic speech will be done with this inner voice.

Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading and as always happy reading and happy Thanksgiving. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N **\- **Warning! **This chapter gets a little gory, towards the end.

**Wings Of Freedom**

** Chapter 8**

* * *

A fire crackled and cast shadows against the walls of the cave, Eren and his friends had taken residence in, the smoke venting through the cave and out into the late evening sky.

Eren knelt by the fire, adding wood to it while his Dragon lay by his side, basking in the heat. They both heard violent coughing and looked up with worry at Armin, laying on the other side of the cave with Mikasa keeping watch over him.

The fall into the ravine had not been without it's consequences. Though Eren and Mikasa were fortunately able to reset the bone in Armin right arm after a few tries and his leg was only fractured a little, Armin still had both limbs in makeshift splints. That wasn't the worst of it though. The poor boy was rapped in several blankets and drenched in sweat as he ran a fever and the flesh around his injured arm turned a little purple with infection.

Eren grimaced as he looked upon his sick friend and felt guilt at his current condition. It had been three days since the fall into the ravine and Armin wasn't showing sign of recovery.

Eren took a deep breath to steel his nerves before he stood up and pulled a pot they had scavenged from an abandoned building, off the fire and walked over to his friends. Once he got there, he saw Mikasa take a wet rag and place it on Armin's head "hey, how's he doing?" Eren asked as he keeled down and Mikasa looked back and though anyone else would have missed it, Eren saw fear hidden in her eyes "he's still out of it. Every now and then he seams lucid but not long" she said as she wiped the sweat off him and placed another rag drenched in cool water on Armin's face.

Eren nodded grimly as he grabbed another bucket and poured the boiling water he had into it "here's some more clean water, just gotta wait for it to cool off" he told Mikasa as he stood back up and the hatchling hopped over and whimpered at Armin and nudged his foot. Eren then walked back towards the fire so he could see past the wall that separated the part of the cave Armin was in from the entrance. Eren looked out at the open fields and clenched his teeth as he listened to Armin's labored breathing. Eren's vision then tunneled as he zeroed in on a small abandoned town, out in the distance.

Eren's face then hardened as he gazed out "hay Mikasa?" he called back "yes Eren?" Mikasa answered from her place by Armin "dad had a friend he worked with out here right? His house should be nearby?" Eren asked and Mikasa looked back at him "yah, I think I remember him mentioning that a few times, but we don't know for sure if this was where he lived" she answered.

Eren stole a glance back at his suffering friend and his frown deepened before looking back out "ether way, we both know Armin won't make it without medicine, and our best chance of finding it is out there" he said and Mikasa looked down at Armin with worry. She wasn't eager to split up or even leave the cave, now that they just got someplace relatively safe. But she knew Armin wouldn't make it at this rate "you're right, but it's a long way off. Are you sure we can make it to the town and back before sunrise?" she asked.

Eren let out a sigh "not "we" Mikasa. Just me" he said and Mikasa quickly turned to face him with worry "Eren you can't go alone!" she said but Eren turned back to face her with a frown "I'm the only one who can Mikasa" he shot back and Mikasa rose to her feet "that's not tru- err" she was interrupted by a grunt of pain and gripped her side "yes it is Mikasa" Eren countered while observing the girls current condition "we may not have been seriously injured like Armin was, but out of the three of us, I'm the least hurt and we can't just leave Armin here all alone" he said then looked back to his sick friend "I can move faster then you can right now, I'm probably the only one who knows what to look for and I'm the only one who can communicate over a distance" he reasoned.

Mikasa grimaced at the cold reality of the situation and she felt a slight chill run up her spine at the mention of him being able to communicate with them. After getting settle a little, Eren had explained what happened when he "spoke" inside her head. Apparently he'd been feeling a strange sort of sixth sense, ever since the egg hatched and he had bonded with his Dragon, and apparently it felt tied to there connection, so when he finally felt his Dragon again as they were climbing out of the ravine, he decided to try calling out with it and accidentally touched Mikasa's mind as well.

Eren had tried exploring his knew ability and discovered that he could "speak" with them, just using his thoughts and could hear theirs' if he focused. It was the last part that creeped Mikasa out and actually scared her a little, given how she really feels towards him. But Eren's experimenting had been cut short by Armin's fever and they had been focused on that since.

Mikasa looked between Eren and Armin with trepidation but eventually gave a sigh of defeat "ok Eren, just be careful" she relented and Eren gave a weak smile as he put a hand on her shoulder "don't worry, I will" he promised, then looked back at his Dragon, who was curled up next to Armin's head "I'll leave her, here with you. If something does go wrong and I can't contact you, then she should be able to tell at least" he told her and Mikasa gave a slight sigh of relief, though she was still nervous about the whole thing.

Eren then looked back out to the town, out in the distance and the Titans wandering around "I'll go ahead and get some supplies together and set out tonight" he said as he got to work.

* * *

[Elsewhere]

Roy sighed as he floated up out of a hole in the ground and then cut the flow of magic. He then looked back down the hole, thinking of the underground city he just explored "well that's probably the most depressing place I've ever been" he said as he turned and started walking to the tree line "gotta give them credit though. No other Humans have ever come this close to matching the Dwarves in construction" he added as he thought back on the city and remembered a rather short fellow who tried to steal from him. He had turned out to be a pretty good fighter too but Roy ultimately won that engagement. Roy couldn't help but chuckle though as he recalled the perplexed look on the guy's normally monotone face, when Roy turned around and helped them, in spite of him and his friends attacking Roy.

Roy shook himself free of his musings as he entered the trees and found a large bolder. The bolder then shifted and brought a Draconic head out from under a wing to face the Rider _"did you find anything?"_ the disguised Dragon asked and Roy shook his head "it wasn't down there and there weren't any tunnels that lead out further then the interior wall" he answered.

The dragon sighed and shook her head _"We've been here in the capital for days, and we're still no closer to finding the egg or finding a way to expose their corrupt leadership"_ she said with a small growl of frustration and Roy rubbed his exhausted face as he pondered their dilemma "I know, but on the bright side I think I'm starting to get a handle on their language" he said then let out a yawn.

Thalia narrowed her eyes at Roy _"why are you so tired. It shouldn't have taken that much energy for you float out of the hole?"_ she asked with a suspicions tone. Roy went a little stiff under her gaze then sighed "the people down there aren't allowed to come up to the surface unless they can pay, and they're practically living in poverty down there" he explained and Thalia growled in response, though Roy couldn't tell if it was directed at him or not _"you exhausted yourself healing the people down there, didn't you?"_ she said and Roy nodded "most of them are crippled from the lack of sunlight and that's just one of the many problems they have to deal with" he explained.

The Dragon huffed at Roy _"I understand that we can't just abandon these people but finding the egg must be our top priority"_ she growled a little and Roy frowned at his Dragon in response "I know that Thalia but can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't have done the some thing had you been the one to go down there?" he asked sternly and opened his mind up to his Dragon, letting her experience everything he had down there. Thalia grimaced in response and looked away _"no"_ she answered after a moment's hesitation.

Roy sighed and walked up closer to his Dragon "look I'm not gonna just keep repeating the same thing over and over again. You know what I think about this whole situation" he said and Thalia whimpered a little as her anger gave way to sadness. Roy then placed a hand on the side of her head "Thalia I know it hurts, I mean I'm literally feeling all your pain and anguish, but getting angry isn't going to help anything. We need keep focused" he said.

Roy felt his's Dragon's emotions waring with each other, but she eventually sighed in defeat _"well then what do you propose we do? Clearly what we've been trying so far hasn't been working"_ Thalia asked and Roy hummed in though for a moment "well we can't just keep flying around at random like this. We need a place to set up and plan accordingly. Fortunately it looks like wherever that spell, spat us out this time, is far beyond the traitors reach, so we don't need to keep running anymore. At least for the time being" he said and Thalia nodded in agreement _"yes we have finally lost them and I have grown tired of carrying unneeded equipment around"_ she said as she shifted her weight, but then glanced back at her saddle with a concerned expression _"and we must find a save place to keep them until the proper time"_ she said and Roy nodded in agreement as he followed her gaze.

Roy then looked back towards the wall "I think between the middle and outer walls would probably be a good place to search" he said and Thalia huffed in agreement _"yes, I member a few good locations where we could set up"_ she said and Roy smiled up at his Dragon. But then she scowled at him and came in close _"now if we're done here, can you return my scales to their proper color and out of this...atrocious pigment"_ she practically demanded and Roy smirked "I don't know, I kind of like the new look, maybe add a little dirt brown here and little moss green there" he joked and his hair was blown back by the small but still intimidating roar that Thalia gave him _"return my scales to their proper color or I will introduce you to the these new colors you favor so!"_ she threatened while lifting her paw as if to smash Roy into the dirt.

Roy laughed as he lifted up his hand to her "ok, ok, your wish is my command" he joked before chanting in the Ancient Language and Thalia's scales slowly returned to normal "you do realize you're partially colorblind right? Do you even know what you look like right now?" he quipped and Thalia growled at him _"I have seen through your eyes enough times to know that my true appearance is far superior to a simple rock"_ she snapped back, earning more laughter from her Rider.

Once Roy was finished, Thalia shook as if ridding herself of the earth she had been colored as_ "much better"_ she sighed with relief and Roy hopped up on her saddle "alright, the sun will be setting soon. Let's head out and start our search" Roy said and Thalia gave a small roar of agreement before taking to the sky.

* * *

[Back With The Others]

Eren sighed as he looked down at the ground, far below "well, this is it" he thought aloud and turned to see Mikasa standing behind him with his Dragon sitting next to her. Mikasa was still frustrated by the whole situation, but she didn't really have much choice at the moment, and so she swallowed her pride as she looked at Eren "just make sure you came back alive" she said and Eren smile at her "I will, I promise" he said as he walked up to her and gave her a quick hug, oblivious to he small bit of red that dusted Mikasa's cheeks.

The two broke apart and they heard a chirp. They both looked down at the hatchling as she hopped up into Eren's arms and looked at him with the biggest and saddest eyes Eren had ever seen, like she was begging him not to leave. Eren gave the hatchling a sympathetic look "I'm sorry, but I have to go" he said but the hatchling just clung to him tightly "hay, everything will be fine. I'll come back and Mikasa will keep an eye on you until then" Eren tried to assure the baby Dragon but she just continued to cling to him.

Eren gave a sad sigh as he carefully pried the hatchling loose and handed her to Mikasa, who held onto her "I'll be back by sunrise, I promise" Eren said as he hefted his pack over his shoulder and backed up to the mouth of the cave. Eren felt a ping of guilt as the hatchling called after him but forced it down "wish me luck" he called back before starting his climb down "good luck" Mikasa said, after he was out of view. She then looked down at the hatchling as it whimpered and stared out the cave. Mikasa gave the hatchling a sympathetic look as she turned around and started walking back to where Armin was "come on" she told the hatchling as it looked over Mikasa's shoulder and out the cave, whimpering as they went.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eren continued to climb down. It was actually pretty easy, now that he didn't have to help carry someone else and he now knew the easiest way down, walking along narrow pathways and only occasionally having to actually climb.

It was still torture though. Not the climb it's self but leaving his Dragon. He had grown impossibly attached to her and making matters worse, the little reptile had dug her mental claws into his mind and she was desperately clinging to him as he got further and further away.

Once Eren reached the bottom, it took all of his willpower not to turn back as the hatchling's mental claws, raked against his psyche until, after a long walk, he left her range and she was gone from his mind.

Eren heard his Dragon call out, as soon as they lost contact and he paused for a moment but didn't look back, he didn't trust himself not to turn around. Instead Eren took a deep breath and thought of Armin as he resumed his walk.

* * *

Eren rubbed the silver mark on his hand as he walked, his mind wondering back to his friends. He couldn't feel much, but he could tell that his Dragon had finally calmed down a little, but her mind was just so faint in his. Eren never new that he could miss having someone else in his head, so much. Eren shook his head free on his worry though. He needed to focus or Armin might die.

Eren was now walking down a dirt road, a significant improvement over walking through the open fields and crossing over rivers as he'd been doing so far. The town then came into sight "there it is" Eren said with relief as he picked up the pace and started jogging to the town.

Eren entered the town but froze as the smell hit him. The smell of death and decay. It was nearly unbearable but Eren shook himself out of it and pulled his shirt up to cover his nose as he walked in, if a little unsteady. Eren looked around at the smashed buildings and the blood and memories of his home town, flashed through his mind _is this what it's like back home now?_ he thought as he walked. Eren then turned a corner and froze yet again and had to resist the urge to vomit. Before him, being picked apart by birds, lay a pile of bodies, all chomped up by the teeth of a Titan, burned by some kind of acid and held together by some kind of membrane like substance, as if the Titan that ate them had decided to just stop and upchuck them.

Eren stood still as a statue for a long moment, then his cheeks puffed out as if he were about to vomit and he ran into another street, where the pile of bodies was out of sight and he hunched over as he tried to keep his lunch down.

Eren managed to keep from vomiting but he still stood there, breathing heavily. He then looked back towards the road where the bodies were _did mom end up like that?_ he thought as tears built in his eyes, but then a fire grew in them as he clinched his fists and gritted his teeth _I swear I'll make them pay for this. I'll wipe them all out one day!_ he thought with fury and turned to face the road ahead of him again. Eren then took a breath as he tried to calm down a little and focus but the small hit him again _I need to find what I'm looking for and fast, or else I'll get sick too_ he though as he pulled his shirt back up to cover his nose again and continued on.

* * *

Eren explored the town and found some useful supplies but still no medicine. He hadn't seen anything that remotely looked like a doctors yet and Eren looked up to the sky with worry, he was running out of time.

Eren sighed into the bandanna he'd found and tied around his face so he wouldn't have to use his shirt anymore "come on, where is it" he thought aloud as he walked, he had been nearly everywhere in town except one street.

Eren stopped as he realized this and looked down for a moment as he thought it over. He was really hoping it wasn't there, but he didn't have a choice, he wouldn't let Armin die, and so he backtracked.

Eren reached the street with the bodies and braced himself before turning the corner "son of a bitch" he cursed as he saw the very place he was looking for, literally right next to the pile of bodies.

Eren clenched and unclenched his fists, several times as he processed what he had to do "shit" he cursed again and paced a few times, then faced the pile again and searched for another entrance but didn't find so much as an exposed window and he knew there wasn't a way in on the other side. Eren then gave a defeated sigh "damn it, this is gonna suck" he moaned as he began walking up to the bodies. As he drew closer, Eren held his breath and hugged the wall as he moved around the bodies. Eren froze momentarily as the pile shifted and some of It nearly touched him, but after a moment when nothing happened, Eren continued on. Eren then reached the door and he was still wedged between the pile and the wall.

Eren whined a little as his lungs protested their continued lack of air, but Eren powered through it as he grabbed the door and pushed.

It didn't open.

Eren groaned as he pushed some more but it wouldn't budge _come on, are you kidding me?!_ Eren though as he pushed some more. When it still refused to move, Eren decided to try pulling it and it opened, but there was still one problem.

He and the door were still wedged between the bodies and the wall. Eren couldn't hold his breath much longer though, so he forced the door open and quickly ducked in before the pile collapsed, shutting the door behind him and holding it shut.

Eren scrambled away from the door and gasped for air. It was still tainted but better then it would have been outside. Eren looked back at the door with all the bodies holding it shut "defiantly not going back out that way" he muttered between breaths before standing up strait. Eren then looked around the room and found everything he'd expect to find in a doctor's place of business. All things he was, a least indirectly, familiar with, thanks to his father.

Eren scanned the room "alright, where would dad keep his medical supplies?" he thought aloud as he moved to one of the cabinets and after several tries and a few minuets of searching, Eren found what he was looking for "ah ha! found it!" he said with relief as he grabbed as much as he could, in addition to other supplies they might need and some books on medicine.

Eren then ran upstairs and into the attic, where he found a small window. He opened it and gaged "of course you're right above the front door" he complained with a strained voice as he looked away in a attempt to find some cleaner air and took a breath before climbing out.

Eren climbed up onto the roof and got as far away from the smell as he could. He then looked to the sky and sighed with relief _I still have time to get back_ he thought and began walking along the roof.

Eren came to a stop at the edge and looked down. It was too far, for a kid like him to jump without braking something, but there was another roof, a little lower on the other side. Eren eyed it as he tried to gauge if it was too far to jump or not, but with a glance back to the sky, he realized that he didn't have time and so Eren backed up a little and crouched down as he got ready "please let this work" he prayed.

Eren then ran forward and jumped.

Eren hit the side of the house, just falling short, but he managed to grab the edge "oh shit" he cursed breathlessly and with adrenaline pumping through his system before he started pulling himself up, but just as he pulled his chest over the edge, the roof tiles gave way "SHIIIIT!" Eren yelled as he fell but thankfully hit a cloth terrace, ripping though it before hitting the cold, hard ground.

Eren laid there for a moment and groaned in pain "I am so tired of falling off ledges" he groaned before forcing himself up. Eren then patted himself down and fortunately nothing was broken. But then Eren's eyes widened with worry and he checked his pack and sighed with relief that the medicine was undamaged "I am so glad I padded that with the clothe and stuff I grabbed" Eren said before slinging his pack, back over his shoulder and began limping out of town, but he quickly picked up the pace as he went and the night drew closer to ending.

* * *

[Back At The Cave]

Mikasa sat next to Armin, attending to him as best she could. Mikasa was beginning to worry though. Eren hadn't come back yet and Mikasa was getting restless as she waited.

Mikasa sighed and walked out of the little chamber of the cave and looked to the entrance. Eren's Dragon was laying there, whimpering as she stared out. The little reptile had been a handful at first, trying to go out and fallow Eren, and then pacing everywhere, and then acting up a few times like she was scared, which really worried Mikasa. But she had finally calmed down again and was waiting impatiently for Eren to return.

Mikasa sighed as she walked over and sat down next to the Dragon and started stroking it's back. The Dragon let out a tense sigh in response and leaned against Mikasa, setting her chin up in the girl's lap but still starring out.

Mikasa managed a small smile at the hatchling, the little reptile was just as attached to Eren as she was. The smile vanished though, as she looked out and the sky started to get color back to it "come on Eren, where are you" she muttered under her breath as she looked out with worry.

The hatchling's head then shot up, her eyes dilated and devoid of anxiety. The hatchling then jumped up and pranced around and Mikasa felt relief wash over her as she looked down "Eren!" she called out as she saw him running towards the cave and the Dragon called out to. Mikasa then felt Eren's mind, brush against her's like it had before _"hay guys, I found it"_ he told them and Mikasa smiled. It was still weird hearing Eren's voice in her head, but she was glad to hear it.

The hatchling started hopping around and Mikasa had to hold her back from jumping out as Eren climbed up. Then Eren climbed over the edge, just as the sun was starting to crest Wall Maria and the hatchling jumped at him and rapped around his neck, purring like there was no tomorrow. Eren laughed a little "I missed you too" he said, but the hatchling gave no indication she was going to move willingly. Mikasa then walked up to Eren and hugged him too but Eren grunted a little, causing the hatchling to perk up and sniff at Eren's bruises, then fold her ears back and whimper a little.

Mikasa noticed and looked Eren over with worry "Eren, are you ok? what happened?" she asked quickly and Eren waved his hands in a playacting manner "I'm alright Mikasa, just had a bit of a fall" he played it off but Mikasa continued to look at him with worry "look, it's nothing major and we need to take care of Armin" Eren said seriously as he pulled off his pack and Mikasa's eyes widened as she remembered their sick friend. She then grabbed the pack and ran back to Armin, with Eren right behind her, the hatchling having moved so he could run with her on his shoulders.

Mikasa and Eren quickly went through the pack and pulled everything out. They set everything up, cleaned and sterilized everything and skimmed through one of the books Eren brought back, just to make sure they were doing everything right and then they gave Armin the medicine "now we wait" Eren said as they sat by Armin's side and Eren felt he fatigue catching up with him.

Mikasa noticed Eren's condition "get some rest. I'll let you know if anything changes" she said and Eren hesitated for a moment but ultimately relented before going to lay down and rest, with his Dragon curled up on his chest _hang in there Armin_ he though as he gave one last look to his friend before giving in to the sweet embrace of sleep.

* * *

**A/N **\- Is the world really cruel, or is it the author.

Seriously, I am torturing these guys WAY more then I originally intended to. What does that say about me?

On a lighter note, I have some news and a few questions.

The news is that I finally have "short of" an update scheduled. Between Tuesday and Friday will be the days when I'll usually update. This does not mean I will post every time though, it's just when it will most likely happen when I do.

Now the questions.

Question 1 : What would you like to be the name of Eren's Dragon.

I've been using the fact that Dragons pick their own names to stall for the fact that I haven't decided on one yet but I'm afraid that I can't wait any longer. I do have one to fall back on if necessary but I'd like to know what you guys think. I'll put a poll up with some options and will except wright ins. German would be preferable, since that's the language they most likely speak in the walls.

Question 2 : Would you like me to start posting more then just one story.

I initially said that I will only focus on one story at a time but I have an embarrassingly large excess of them on the back burner, so I want to know what you guys think. I'll put a poll up for this one as well.

Question 3 : Did anyone notice the Skyrim reference I made back in chapter 1.

Well that's all from me. Thanks for reading my story so far and merry Christmas.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N -** Sorry that this one is so short but it's mostly filler anyway and with Christmas right around the corner I haven't been righting much.

Happy reading and merry Christmas.

* * *

**Wings Of Freedom**

** Chapter 9**

* * *

Eren felt the comforting blanket of sleep, leaving him but refused to open his eyes. Eren's sleep schedule had been so messed up lately, on account of them running from the Titans and he had been through so much lately, so he wasn't quite ready to surrender his momentary paradise.

**CRASH!**

"Ugh!" Eren grunted as something heavy, landed on his chest and his eyes flew open. Eren then blinked the gunk out of his eyes until he could see clearly and he looked to his chest to see the metallic sheen of his Dragon's scales, reflecting the light back at him "whhhhyyyy?" Eren drawled out comically as he lay there under the weight of his, now larger Dragon.

It had been four days since Eren got back with the medicine and the Dragon had grown substantially, and given a few more days she would be as big as a German Shepard. Additionally, the Dragon's scales had begun to harden up more, meaning they were now hard and sharp, making them look even more metallic and reflective, and her horns, claws and spines were growing out. Eren was actually a little concerned about the last one though, seeing as there was still a space between her shoulder blades where her spines refused to grow.

Eren groaned as he tried to sit up and the Dragon hopped off him, only to prance around and use her snout to try and get Eren moving "alright, alright I'm up" Eren groaned as he begrudgingly rose up off his bed of blankets and to his feet with a terrible case of bed head. Eren then heard chuckling and looked over to see Armin, sitting up against the wall, under a blanket, with a thick book in his lap "that's what you get for sleeping in" he joked and Eren smiled at his friend with relief. Armin had slowly been recovering from his infection and looked much better then before. His arm and leg were still in splints and his skin was still a little pale with dark bags under his eyes, but Armin looked much better and he gave Eren a bright, if tired, smile from where he sat.

Eren gave a yawn and scratched his limbs "hay, morning Armin. How you feeling today?" he asked and Armin sneezed "not one hundred percent yet, but better" he answered with a bit of a nasally voice as he wiped his nose. Eren smiled at his friend "glad to hear it" he said, but then his Dragon tried to hop up on his shoulder, causing Eren to tip over "whoa!" he yelled as he fell and just barely caught himself on the wall as the Dragon fell off. Eren breathed a little heavy before looking to his Dragon "carful, you're getting too big for that" Eren said as he straitened himself up.

The Dragon whimpered a little before fixing Eren with a determined glared that made Eren's eyes widen with nervousness "now hold it right there" he warned the Dragon as she brought her front in low while raising her rear and shaking it like a cat ready to pounce "don't you dare!" Eren warned again but the Dragon jumped for his shoulder, causing Eren to yelp and duck out of the way. The Dragon wasn't willing to give up though and jumped after him again "ahh!" Eren yelled as the Dragon chased him all around the cave and Armin laughed hysterically at the two "looks like she's as stubborn as you" he managed to get out between fits of laughter.

Eren yelled as the Dragon chased him into a corner and Erne looked around feverishly for an escape but was only able to turn in time to see his Dragon charging him "no, no, no, no, no!" he yelled as she pounced on him, his legs sticking up in the air as she burred him under her scales. Eren's legs fell to the ground and he let out a muffled groan "a miphl meph mph mphe" Eren muffled voice came out from under his Dragon as he tried to get up, but the Dragon pinned him "w-what?" Armin asked as his laughter finally subsided and he heard Eren groan again from underneath his Dragon _"I said, a little help here please"_ Eren thought to his friend and Armin blinked a little while rubbing his head, it was still very weird communicating like this but he shook it off "sorry, I'm not sure how much help I can be right now" he said while eyeing his splints.

Eren gave a frustrated groan as his Dragon snickered, but then Mikasa walked up to them while chuckling "alright, that's enough. Unless you don't want this bit of meat I was cooking for you" she said, teasingly to the Dragon, who immediately hopped off Eren and sat excitedly, in front of Mikasa, who then tossed her the food.

Meanwhile, Eren gasped for breath as he sat up and glared at his Dragon "man, how much bigger is she going to get?" he pondered with mild irritation, but still couldn't help smiling as the large reptile, pranced about happily. Armin hummed as he thought it over "who knows, I'm still trying to just make sense of all the weird things that have been happening because of her" He commented but then smiled as the Dragon turned her attention to him with an almost sympathetic expression and nuzzled the recovering boy and he laughed a little "but I do know one thing. We wouldn't have made it this far without her" he added and the Dragon seamed to chirp in acknowledgement of the praise.

Mikasa nodded in agreement as she helped Eren stand back up "yah, and who knows, maybe if she gets big enough then she could fly us to Wall Rose" she said and Eren pondered that thought as a certain dream came back to him and he looked out of the cave and envisioned himself among the clouds on the back of his Dragon and he remembered the feeling of freedom he'd had "yah" he said absentmindedly with a dreamy expression.

The Dragon seamed to notice what Eren was thinking and looked out with the same thoughts, her wings flexing with anticipation. She had been practicing her flying a lot and could manage to fly to the cave from the ground now, but not much more yet. Still, she was eager to fly with her Rider and was half tempted to charge out of the cave with Eren on her back, but she was no where near ready, and so she resigned herself to charging out and practicing her flying.

Eren and Mikasa walked up to the edge of the cave as she snapped her wings down and gained a little lift "she's certainly eager to fly" Mikasa commented as they watched her go "I'm just glad the Titans ignore her" Eren said as he watched her fly round, close to the ground, while the Titans payed her no mind. Eren then looked to Wall Rose and his mood turned a little sour.

Mikasa noticed his worried expression "hay, what's wrong?" she asked and Eren seamed to snap out of it a little "oh, it's nothing" he played it of as he walked back in. Mikasa fallowed him with a frown "Eren" she said sternly and Eren stopped and turned back to face her "what's wrong?" she asked again and Eren hesitated for a moment before sighing in defeat "it's just...well I'm worried what'll happen to her, once we get to Wall Rose" he said and Mikasa blinked with surprise.

They both heard Armin humming in thought "Eren's right, there's no telling what the government will think of her, and we don't even understand what she's fulling capable of" Armin agreed, causing Eren to cast his eyes to the ground with worry. Eren then felt a hand on his shoulder a looked up to see Mikasa "hay, we have plenty of time to figure that out" she said and Eren smiled a little with relief. Mikasa then smirked slightly "but as for coming up with a name for her, I think it's safe to say you're running out of time" she joked.

Armin grinned sheepishly as he rubbed his neck "yah, it's getting kind of old, not having something to call her" he said and Eren gave an exasperated groan and he facepalmed "I'm trying, but she won't respond to any of the names I try, aside from smacking me in the face with ether her tail or one of her wings" he moaned as he ran his hand down his face, causing his friends to chuckle a little "well I'm sure you'll figure something out eventually" Armin said as he turned his gaze, out of the cave.

The others fallowed suit and looked out at the wall in the distance. They were still so far away, but they were still alive, and they would get there eventually.

* * *

[Scout Regiment H.Q.]

Commander Erwin Smith was sitting at his desk, looking over reports and planning the next mission into Titan territory. He was relatively new to the job, since the previous Commander of the Scouts stepped down, so he was still acquainting himself with the position he had worked for so long to achieve.

But even so, his mind wasn't on his work. He glanced over to another set of reports from the Military Police and Garrison regiments. Reports of crops suddenly growing in abundance, despite the famine and the sick and injured, suddenly waking up cured, and then there were the roars.

Erwin paused as he remembered it. A deafening roar that echoed out after Wall Maria fell. Erwin had heard it along with so many others and apparently it had come up again a few times, just not to the same extent. Erwin was puzzled by all of this. He was certainly happy that no one was starving, even if the nobles were scared of the sudden surge in population but Erwin wanted to know what was causing all of this. Did they have an ally out there somewhere or what. Erwin didn't know but he could feel it was important.

A knock came to Erwin's door, snapping the Commander from his thoughts "come in" he called and one of his most trusted men, walked in, Mike Zacharius. Mike walked in with a stack of papers in his hand and Erwin groaned slightly "more requests from the nobility that we draft the refugees?" he guessed and Mike gave a similar reaction "yes, they're getting nervous about loosing all the extra food" he answered with venom at the nobility and their orders.

Erwin sighed, if not for the sudden abundance in crops, he probably wouldn't have been able to fight the crown's new policy of drafting refugees. Granted Erwin wouldn't say no to new recruits but he wasn't about to sign of on the crown's panic induced and thinly veiled purge.

Erwin took the papers and looked over them. It was just more of the same, only worded differently and thankfully it appeared his fellow Commander, Dot Pyxis and their superior, Dhalis Zachary, were also opposed to the crowns policy, so he should be able to overrule it. Erwin sighed as he filled out his own response and set it aside for later "this is getting old. We need to be focusing on more important matters then the irrational fears of nobles who don't even know the people the rule over" he lamented and Mike nodded "agreed, but there's more" he said and Erwin looked through the rest of the papers and his eyes widened in mild surprise "a request for aid from the Military Police?" he questioned, it wasn't every day that the M.P.s swallowed their pride and asked the lowly Scouts for help.

Mike nodded in agreement "yah, apparently there's some squirt with O.D.M. Gear, down in the underground and he's been costing the nobles a pretty penny and humiliatingly the M.P.s" he said and Erwin interlaced his fingers as he hummed in thought _someone who's able to out maneuver the Military Police in O.D.M._ he pondered and was little impressed by what the reports had said. Erwin then gave a small smirk as he formulated a plan "let the M.P.s know we'll take care of it, so long as we get final say on the manner of punishment" he said and Mike gave his superior a suspicious glance "I know that look. You're planning something aren't you?" he said and Erwin chuckled a little "you'll see soon enough" he answered and Mike gave a salute before leaving Erwin with his thoughts.

* * *

**A/N **\- Again, sorry that this one was so short but it will pick up once the holidays are over.

Now, apparently I don't understand how polls work on this site, because I haven't figured out how to put the two I mentioned before up, so anyone who can explain that to me, please do so, I am still very new to posting on this site.

Additionally, while I did say that I try to only post one story at a time, I was feeling inspired and writ a Dragon Prince one-shot, while I was having trouble with with this chapter, so since it's just a one-shot, I'll go ahead and put it up. Be warned, it is mostly fluff.

And that's it from me, please leave a review.

Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N-** I LIIIIIIVVVVVEEEE! (author rises from the grave)

Happy new year everyone and I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I'm back and ready to wright agin (provided I don't get any more righter's block)

Anyway, I've got news, which is not necessarily bad for you but sad for me.

No one voted on the Dragon's name!

I realized I messed up pretty bad with the poles but no one even wrote in a suggestion in the comments. In fact I have only received one comment over the corse of this story.

I know people are reading my story and I have a few favs and followers, which is more then enough for me, but this is my fist published story and I literally have no idea if I'm actually doing a good job of righting this or not.

All I'm asking for is a little impute, am I doing well or not, please.

Anyway, now that my mental breakdown is over, here's the next chapter.

As always, happy reading.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

** Chapter 10**

* * *

Roy sat atop a branch, high up in one of the giant trees that grew in large clumps, scattered across the land.

The Rider breathed in the fresh evening air, blowing through the trees, the sounds and smells it carried invoking memories of happier times. The forest of giant trees reminded Roy of the Elven kingdom, which he had visited during training "it can be so peaceful here at times…but at others…" he trailed off as a roar filled the air, accompanied by a bright light and a wave of heat and rage.

Roy looked to the ground as his enraged Dragon, turned any and all Titans in sight to ash "…it can be the most insane place you've ever seen" he finished as he felt Thalia's rage at their continued failure to locate the egg, wash over him and he tried his best to let it just slide off him like water, as he had been since getting here, but it was getting harder as time went. He was just glad they weren't anywhere near their bass, or was it their home now? Roy didn't really know. It certainly didn't feel like a home to him.

Roy sighed as another wave of light and heat, washed against his face. He had tried to calm his Dragon, but all the pain and anguish she had been bottling up had finally boiled over. As it was he couldn't even touch her mind without having to pry away the image of the lost egg, which was all he saw when attempting to contact her.

In the end, Roy knew the only thing he could do was sit and wait for his Dragon to ether cool off or burn out, and with Thalia, the latter was more likely, meaning Roy was probably going to be stuck up in this tree for a while. They might not even make it back before sunset.

So, knowing this, Roy settled in for a long wait as he pulled some provisions out of his pack. He froze though, as he felt an odd sensation, like a magnet repelling another. Confused, Roy probed the spot in his pack with his mind and felt magic within "what?" He questioned before casting a spell to identify the magic "Vanyalí thorta onr ilumëo" he spoke the spell which roughly translated to "Magic speak your truth". It was a little rough, but Roy wasn't perfectly fluent in the Ancient Language like most other Riders.

It was enough though, and Roy immediately recognized the magic as a combination of illusion and magnetism, to hide whatever was in there while holding it in place, but the Rider also noticed that the spell was relatively weak and was fading. By Roy's estaminet, it would dissipate within a day at most, revealing what was hidden.

Roy was very confused and concerned. For all he knew, one of the Forsworn might have slipped whatever this was into his pack so they could track him or worse. And so, Roy braced himself as he spoke another incantation to dispel the magic and there was a small pop and discharge of magic like static and something metallic fell into Roy's hand. The Rider retracted his hand to find he was holding a silver circlet, forged in a pattern like interwoven vines, with a sapphire in the center that glowed with power, and a few sapphire Dragon scales were melded to it with magic.

Roy stared at the circlet for a long moment before he felt something wet, dripping on his lap "Ari…you sly fox…when did you find the time to slip this in my pack during the fall?" Roy said with a broken voice as tears began to fall "I guess we both knew you weren't coming back from that fight…not after you lost Vorlin to that monster that chased us here, but still…" he trailed off and gripped the circlet tightly with one hand, while the other traveled to his silver eye, as memories he had long been surprising, of a beautiful young elven girl and her young silver dragon with sapphire scales on the tip of his tail and the edges of his wings, forced their way to the forefront of his mind "I guess thanks for buying us time to escape. I only wish you could have…" he trailed off again.

Roy couldn't take it anymore. He had been trying to hold strong for his Dragon, but now, with Thalia in the depths of her grief and with Roy not only feeling every bit of it, but also finally having time to process everything and with the discovery of this circlet which meant so much to the only one he could have loved a much as his Dragon…

Roy simply couldn't hold it in anymore…the loss of his home, his friends, his mentors, the love of his life…the closest thing to a family he'd ever known…it was just too much to hold in anymore and he began to sob before screaming to the heavens in harmony with his Dragon as all the grief he had been holding in for his partner's sake, mingled with that of his Dragon and came spilling out.

* * *

Elsewhere, another, much younger Dragon, paused and looked out at the horizon, thinking for the thousandth time that she heard something out there. But she brushed it off with a shake of her head and resumed her trek back to the cave where she and the partner-of-her-heart-and-mind resided with their friends.

The two week old dragon trotted along and gave low growl to a Titan that was reaching up toward the cave and gave it a quick slice to the Achilles' tendon and backed up quickly as it fell before pouncing on its nape and clawing at it until the Titan stopped moving and began to evaporate.

The young dragon gave a satisfied snort before hopping off the Titan, away from the cave to give her some distance, then she flared her wings out and drove them down as she hopped back up towards the cave.

The Dragon felt more then a little pride at how well she could fly now and her joy only grew as she crested the ledge of the cave and saw her Rider standing there waiting for her with a smile on his face. The smile disappeared though as the Dragon gave a muffled but happy roar and he felt the emotions coming off her "don't you dare" he warned but the Dragon ignored him and charged at him "no, no, no, no!" Eren yelped as he attempted to jump out of the way, but the Dragon flared her wings out, catching him and pulling him under her as she tackled him.

Eren groaned from under his Dragon and his groan only deepened as he heard historical laughter from deeper in the cave. His Dragon's tendency to tackle him was quickly becoming a common Occurrence, much to Eren's chagrin.

Fortunately, it appeared the Dragon wasn't in the mood to pin her Rider down for that long, this time and got up off Eren, who rose to his feet with a pained groan and he placed his hands on his back as he stretched, earning an audible **pop** from his spine as he gave a sigh of relief.

Eren then looked to his Dragon with an irritated glare as she snickered at him "yah, yah, laugh it up" he said as he stretched some more _if she gets any bigger, she gonna start crushing me_ Eren though with worry at how quickly she had been growing. Only two weeks old and she was already the size of a German Shepard, and Eren didn't know when she would stop.

Eren shook himself free from his thoughts as he heard more laughing and his irritated features softened when he turned and saw Armin, hobbling towards him on a makeshift crutch. The blond was recovering well from the fall into the ravine and the fallowing infection. His arm and leg were still in splints, but he was able to get around with help now and he no longer looked anemic and sleep deprived.

Eren hid the guilty expression that tried to show it's self in his face at the sight of Armin hobbling up to him "well I'm glad you find me being crushed so funny" he scoffed, trying to act normal.

Armin grew a slightly distant look in his eyes. He knew Eren and Mikasa still blamed themselves for what happened to him and it killed him to see his friends going out of there way so much to help him, but as it stood, he couldn't really refuse their aid until he had recovered more and so, like Eren, he too attempted to act normal "I'm sorry, but it's kind of hard not to laugh" he replied as the Dragon walked up to him and whimpered a little as she sniffed Armin's hurt leg and walked to his other side and offered to support him.

Armin smiled down at the Dragon as he shifted his crutch to his other hand and leaned against the Dragon "thanks" he said and the Dragon purred in response, though it was miffed slightly.

Mikasa walked in with a basket in her arms "glad to see your back" Mikasa greeted the Dragon, who responded with a hum as Mikasa walked in front of her and held the basket out "so how was your trip this time?" she asked and the Dragon held her snout over the basket and opened her mouth, letting several rabbits and fish, fall into the basket "your getting better at hunting" Eren complimented his Dragon as he looked over her catch and she gave a small, triumphant roar.

Everyone smiled at the Dragon as Mikasa took the food to their makeshift kitchen to clean and prepare it to eat. Meanwhile, Armin hobbled up to the mouth of the cave with help from Eren and his Dragon, and he gazed out at the open fields "I still can't believe we've survived out here this long" Armin mused as he watched the Titans wander towards Wall Rose "I know what you mean. A hundred years and the Scouts never managed to expand beyond the Wall, but here we are, a few kids, surviving in Titan territory" Eren commented with a combination of pride and concern in his voice.

Eren might have been proud and thickheaded, but he wasn't stupid. He knew the only reason they were alive was because they found that egg and it hatched for him, and even then, it had been nothing but starvation, injury and PTSD, up to this point.

Admittedly they were better off now, but Eren had developed a pessimism that bordered on paranoid, after everything he'd been through leading up to this point, and he knew they were far from out in the clear yet. They still had miles of Titan territory to negotiate before they were safe, and Eren suspected their problems wouldn't end there.

Eren sighed as he shook himself free of the dreary thought. In spite of his newly acquired pessimism, he couldn't help but feel pride in what they had accomplished, both in surviving and discovering the Dragon. And so he smiled as he looked out at the field, then out at Wall Rose _we'll get there eventually. I know it_ Eren thought with determination before turning and going back inside to help Mikasa.

* * *

A fire crawled in the mouth of the cave as Eren and his friends sat around it and watched the sunset.

Eren gave a burp as he finished off his food and stroked the scales of his Dragon, curled up next to him. Eren then gave a content sigh "it's so nice not to be starving anymore" he commenting, earning a chuckle from Armin "yah, no more going hungry and no more running for our live every night and having nightmares during the day" he mused as he leaned back and leaned on his good arm.

Eren hummed in agreement as he gazed out at Wall Rose again but his face fell a little "hay, what's wrong?" Mikasa asked, taking notice "oh, what?…it's nothing" Eren tried to play it off but Mikasa just frowned "Eren" she repeated with a slight edge to her voice and, to Eren's surprise, his Dragon gave him a low growl in support of Mikasa, encouraging him to come clean.

Eren gave a frustrated sigh "alright, it's just…well I've been thinking about if-…when we get to Wall Rose…what do we do about her?" He asked while looking to his Dragon, who folded her ears back upon hearing his concern was for her.

Armin hummed as he thought it over "yah, I see what you mean. There's no telling how the government will react to her" he admitted as he thought over their dilemma.

Mikasa was silent as she pondered everything. She had grown surprisingly close to the Dragon, in spite of how their relationship started and she knew if anything happened to her, then Eren would suffer from it too "I'm sure we'll figure something out. After all, we've survived out here for this long and that's suppose to be impossible" she said, trying to sound encroaching and, though he was hesitant, Eren smiled in response "thanks Mikasa" he said and looked out at the field as that old fire, burned to life in his eyes again "I don't know how we're going to make it to Wall Rose or what happens after…but when we do make it, I'm going to find a way to fight back and make the Titans pay for what they've done" he said with determination.

Everyone was silent for a long moment after Eren's proclamation, when Armin suddenly blurted our "I'm going with you!" and Eren looked at him is shock "Armin!? Come on, we both know your life is in books, you don't have to throw away doing what you love to-"

"I know that!" Armin interrupted Eren and tears began to build in his eyes "I know I'm not suited to fighting like you and Mikasa and there's no guarantee that I'll fully recover from this…" he said while looking down at his arm and leg "but…but after what happened to grandpa and everything we've been through…" he said before looking back out at the Titans wandering around, and a fire lit in his eyes that Eren had never seen in his friend before "I know I probably don't stand a chance, but after everything we've been through…I refuse to live in fear of these things!" He said with a determination that shocked Eren.

Eren had never seen his friend like this before. It was so unlike him. But then Eren started to remember how Armin had reacted to everything after Wall Maria fell and their boat was smashed. In all his grief and with how sleep deprived he was, Eren hadn't noticed how much Armin had suffered then.

Eren began to feel even more guilt as he realized that Armin had been scared and changed by what had happened, and he hadn't even noticed.

Eren clinched his fists as he berated himself for his stupidity and tried to form a response to Armin's proclamation, but Mikasa beat him too it "I'm going with you too" she said and Eren turned to her "oh come on, not you too. None of you need to die following me" he said but Mikasa just looked at him with that emotionless stare of her's "wherever you go Eren, I go" she stated.

Eren groaned as he tried to come up with a counter argument, but his Dragon growled at him and batted him with her head, earning his attention, and as he looked into her eyes, he understood what she was trying to convey.

He wasn't getting out of this.

"Eren" Armin called, earning his friends attention and he looked up to see Armin with that same determination to in his eyes but he also had a smile on his face "your not going anywhere without us…and besides, we made a promise didn't we?" He asked and Eren gasped a little as he remembered it. Their promise to go beyond the wall see the world for themselves.

Eren just sat there for a moment, starring at Armin and that fire that burned within him and he briefly wandered if this was what it was like to deal with him. Eren then looked between his friends and his Dragon and finally gave a sigh of defeat "ok, we're in this together then" he said and the others smiled at him "right" Armin said and gave a nod.

Armin's expression changed though as he looked at the Dragon "ok, but seriously, you need to come up with a name for her" he deadpanned and Eren gave an exasperated groan while the Dragon gave a short of snicker.

Eren looked down at his Dragon and saw a look in her eyes as she raised her tail in preparation to smack him over the head, almost like she was daring him to try.

Eren frowned as he looked his Dragon over, as if it might give him some kind of clue as to what the Dragon might respond to. Eren's eyes widened slightly though as he looked over her scales and got and idea. She probably would shoot it down, but he had a good feeling about this one "how about…" he started and winced as she lifted her tail higher in preparation "Scarlett" he said and squeezed his eyes shut as her tail suddenly moved towards him.

But it never hit, and Eren opened one eye with confusion before looking to the Dragon and she had lowered her tail and was looking down with a contemplative expression and emotions. Then Eren's eyes widened in shock as the Dragon looked up at Eren with approval in her eyes and flowing over their link.

Eren gasped and thrust his hands in the air in victory "yes! Finally!" He exclaimed and the others looked at him with surprise "she finally went with one?" Armin asked and Eren nodded happily and the now named Scarlett, gave a happy roar, causing the others to smile and laugh a little at her.

Eren smiled as he stroked Scarlett's scales and looked to his friend who would never leave his side. His family who would always be there to support him, even when he didn't want it. It was a perfect moment.

So of corse the universe decided to ruin it, with an earth shattering…

**BANG!**

"What the hell!?" Eren yelled as they got up and looked out of the cave, where a missive dust cloud was settling, giving way to steam and Eren's eyes widened in horror as a Titan, with long, lean arms and legs, crawled it's way out of the crater it had made and looked right at them before crouching down like a frog, getting ready to leap "it's an abnormal!" Eren exclaimed but his warning came to late as it leaped right at them, easily matching the hight of the cave.

Memories flashed through Eren's mind and in that moment he reacted. He didn't think he just reacted and shoved his friends back into the cave before his world suddenly went black and pain exploded in his left arm and leg, and the last thing he heard was Mikasa calling out his name as Scarlett let loose the loudest and most panicked roared of her life.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - **welp, my brain is thoroughly fried now!

This is the longest chapter I've written so far and that's before the author's note. And to top it all off I think I'm coming down with something so I've been a little looping today, so their will most likely be some spelling errors. I would like to apologize for that in advance.

Also, again this chapter gets a little graphic. just a heads up.

And finally, a thank you to the guest reviewer from the last chapter. It was only a few words but it helps immensely to know that I'm not failing miserably at righting this story, so again thank you.

Now, that's enough from me. I'm going to go down some medicine and sleep this off.

As always, happy reading!

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"Whoa!" Roy yelped as he narrowly dodged a branch as Thalia flew full speed through the trees "Thalia! What the heck has gotten into you!?" He exclaimed over the high wind with a little irritation at being woken up.

After Thalia finally calmed down, they found that they were both, emotionally and physically drained, and it was already late, so they decided to rest there.

Then, Thalia suddenly woke him up with a panicked roar and slung him rather harshly over her shoulder and onto her saddle before shooting off, not even giving him time to properly orient himself.

Now the Rider was dodging branches as his Dragon raced through the forest at top speed, her mind shut off and focused solely on the image of the lost egg.

Roy dodged another branch "Thalia would you please-whoa!" He dodged another branch "just tell me-ahh!" another branch "WHAT IN THE NAME OF!-"

**SLAP!**

"Ahh!-son of a!-" He bit back the rest of his cures as he rubbed the new red line of irritated flash that now adorned his left cheek, with a hiss.

The agitated Rider looked at his Dragon with a scowl "Thalia, what in the name of-"

**"RRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!"**

Roy froze as a panicked Dragon's roar, echoed out over the planes. A roar that was not Thalia's, and Roy immediately understood his Dragon's behavior and he grew a determined look as she roared in response and the Rider hunkered down as she increased her speed.

* * *

**"RRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!"**

Armin awoke to searing pain and the sound of Scarlett's panicked roar "EREN!" Mikasa wailed and Armin winced as he tried to organize his jumbled mind and make since of what was happening around him.

Armin tried to push himself up but nearly vomited as his, once again, broken lambs flared up again and he kept his eyes screwed shut as chaos erupted around him. Eventually the pain subsided to a manageable level and Armin used his good arm, which was now hurting as well, and pushed himself up and opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw.

Armin was on the ground, with boulders and pieces of the cave, broken and scattered around him amidst the waining hours of the day.

Armin heard more roars and the earth shook as loud thuds echoed out but Armin was still too dazed to figure out what was going on. It was then that he saw Eren's arm, sticking out from under some rubble and reached for it "Eren?" He wheezed as he coughed his lounges back into working order and grabbed Eren's hand and pulled.

Armin's eyes widened in horror as he pulled the limp hand up, only to find it wasn't connected to anything.

Armin screamed and dropped the severed appendage as he scrambled away from it, in spite of his hurt limbs. Armin then went stock still and ashen white as the memories finally came back to him of the Titan jumping at the cave and Eren pushing them out of the way, before the Titan closed it's jaws around him, severing his left arm and leg in the process.

Armin then slowly turned his head, to see the Titan stumbling around as Scarlett clung to it's face and mauled it unmercifully while roaring at it and Mikasa sat there with her ankle twisted at a painful angle with a look of complete shock and despair about her.

Armin sat there in shock for a moment before his brain finally caught up with him and he screamed at the top of his lounges as Mikasa screamed Eren's name.

Scarlett roared as she clawed and snapped wildly, any and all sense of strategy or forethought giving way to unbridled rage. Eventually she brought the Titan to the ground with it's nape facing Mikasa.

The girl stared for a moment before glancing down at a knife laying next to her. Her face then hardened over into a look of rage and madness that could strike fear into even a Dragon, as she picked up the knife and stood, in spite of her broken foot and charged the Titan with a scream of rage.

Mikasa's foot worsened under the effort but she ignored it as she drove the dull knife, deep into the Titan's nape, all the way up to her shoulder and it twitched for a moment before going limp as Scarlett continued to tear into it.

Mikasa managed you pull her arm loose and fell on her rump with a pained yell as her, now much worse foot, finally caught up with her.

Mikasa looked up at the dead Titan "EREN!" she called out and Armin finally seamed to snap out of his trance and began to hesitantly crawl over to Mikasa _Eren…he can't be_ _gone…he can't…he-_ Armin gasped and his train of thought stalled as he remembered the Titan eating his friend. Aside from the arm and the leg, the Titan had eaten Eren whole, that meant…

Armin's eyes widened "he might still be alive in there!" He called out and saw Mikasa flinch, but before ether of them could do anything, Scarlett pounced on the Titan's stomach with a roar and started tearing it apart, until there was a sudden burst of steam and stomach acid came spilling out and a body came spilling out with it.

Mikasa gasped upon seeing him "Eren!" She called as Scarlett roared and Mikasa stared dragging herself towards him, as her foot would no longer support her weight and Scarlett was on top of Eren in seconds, sniffing all over him in spite of the stench.

Mikasa reached Eren and went to grab him but quickly retracted her hand with a hiss as it was burned by the acid. Mikasa scowled though as she ripped some of her clothing off and began wiping off the acid "Eren! Wake up!" she called desperately but got no response from him and her fears grew.

But then Scarlett growled at him and roared right in Eren's face and he jolted awake with a yell and started coughing "Eren" Mikasa said with relief as he finished coughing and gulped down a deep breath of air.

Armin finally dragged himself up to them "Eren, are you ok?" He asked with relief but it evaporated as he saw the haunted look in Eren's eyes and he knew, Eren had been awake while in the Titan's stomach.

Eren finally blinked himself back to reality "A-Armin?…Mikasa?…" he asked in a daze as pain racked his body and he tried to process everything. Eren tried to reach up with his left hand to grip his face but was met with the sight of his bleeding stump and stared in shock for a moment before he screamed "Eren, everything's going to be ok" Armin tried to reassure him as he pushed what was left of Eren's arm, back down and out of sight as he started tying a tourniquet around it with ripped strips of his shirt.

Eren didn't hear his friend's words though as his hearing devolved into nothing but ringing and he went into shock at his lost limbs _what am supposed to do now? I can't_ _fight without my arm and leg_ Eren though with despair. His Dragon noticed his downward spiral and roared at him to try and bring him back, but Eren didn't hear it _how am I suppose to keep my promise?_…_I'm useless now…_ Eren fell deeper into his depression as he stared off into space, ignorant of his friends trying to talk to him. Scarlett grew more panicked as her roars went unheeded and so she dove deep into his mind and felt all his depression as she tried being him back out of it but Eren just fell deeper and deeper _what's the point in going on-_

_**"RRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"**_

Scarlett's roar was both real and inside Eren's head as she she grew close to a mental brake down upon hearing his last thoughts. The Dragon simply couldn't let her partner-of-her-heart-and-mind fall like this. She had to do something!

Just then, Scarlett felt a strange feeling in the core of her being and it surged forth as she felt inspiration and suddenly she knew what to do and her mood evened out and became more calm and collected "Eren! Come on, speak to me!" Mikasa called out in vain as they tried to reach him and with all the commotion, Armin didn't notice the sudden change in the Dragon's behavior until she calmly moved to stand over him and brought her head in close to his face.

Armin watch in confusion as he paused in addressing Eren's injuries "what's she?…" he trailed off but then gasped as her snout began to glow faintly and she hesitated for a fraction of a second before touching her snout to Eren's head and closing her eyes.

The effect was instantaneous as Eren's eyes flew wide for a moment before closing with an almost serine look and the glow spread to the rest of his body. Then Armin and Mikasa both yelped and shuffled back a little as Eren's stump of an arm and leg, glowed brighter and began to grow until he had two new limbs, unblemished, aside from a ring of metallic red around where the limbs had been severed, with a pattern similar to Scarlett's scales. Additionally, all the acid was lifted away and vanished and Eren's hair color shifted from it's natural brown, to a metallic red with a steak of silver through one of his bangs and it reflected the waining lite of the sun like metal.

The glow faded and Scarlett backed up at little as she looked down at her Rider and Armin and Mikasa just stared in shock.

A tense moment passed as they watched Eren lay there, unmoving. Then, with a gasp, Eren shot up, wide awake and unhurt "w-what the…" He said with a shaky breath but froze as he realized he was no longer in pain, and more then that, he could feel the soft grass beneath his lost limbs.

Eren hesitantly looked down to see he had a new arm and leg and wiggled his new toes as if to test if they were real. He then held up his left hand and stared at it with wide eyes for a long moment "what the hell…" he trailed off in shock for a moment but was brought out of it as someone rapped him in a hug "Eren! Your ok!" Mikasa said with a broken voice as she held him and Eren looked over at her, still too stunned by everything to formulate a response. Then he looked up at Armin, who was just staring at him wide eyed and slack jawed. Eren then looked back to his new arm "how did-"

**THUD!**

Everyone's train of though or in the case of Armin, the lack there of, was immediately interrupted and pulled the Dragon that saved Eren, as she collapsed and let out a shuttered whine. Eren eyes flew wide upon seeing his Dragon collapse "oh no!" He said as he got up with no difficulty and ran to her, his near suicidal train of thought from mere seconds ago, forgotten. But as soon as Eren took one step towards Scarlett, he felt an unnatural exhaustion overtake him and he fell to his hands and knees _what_ _the_… he though as he tried to stand again but it was just too much for him _it's like I'm being drained_ Eren observed as he tried to crawl over to his Dragon.

**THUMP!**

Eren's eyes widened _oh god, please not now_ he thought as he turned his head to see more Titans approaching.

The others noticed the other Titans coming too "come on, we need to move!" Armin exclaimed as he tried to get up but his broken body wouldn't allow it and Mikasa wasn't much better.

Eren grimaced as he looked between his friends, his Dragon and the Titans that were slowly but surly getting closer "damn it!" Eren cursed as he forced himself to stand and walked over to pick up Armin and give him and Mikasa someone too lean on "the sun's almost down, so all we have to do is keep away from then until it's dark" Armin explained through gritted teeth to stifled his grunts of pain "wait, what about Scarlett?" Eren asked and Armin looked to the Dragon for a moment "she'll be fine until we can come back for her. The Titans don't care about her" he explained and Eren grunted in acknowledgement before casting one last glance at his Dragon "we'll come back" he promised his Dragon, who gave a weak whine.

Eren turned and started helping his friends run but something about the way his Dragon had responded, bugged him. It wasn't that she didn't want him to leave, he could feel that coming from her, but it was more like she DID want him to go. And more then that, there was a finality to it, like someone saying goodby.

As Eren pondered this, he finally noticed that his strength seamed to be returning to him with every step he took. He didn't know why that was but he counted himself lucky as he went and cast his mind back to check on his Dragon.

Eren immediately halted and stood stock still "Eren? What's wrong?" Mikasa asked with worry but Eren didn't answered as he tried desperately to pull his Dragon's fading mind back up to the surface.

Eren then gasped and looked back with horror and realization. With every step he took away from his Dragon, he had indeed gotten his strength back, but with every step away, so too did Scarlett's mind fade.

Eren may not have fulling understood everything that was going on, but he knew they were nowhere near far enough away from each other for their minds to fade from one another, and the horrible truth dawned on Eren as he realized that his Dragon was dying.

Eren took a hesitant step back, without even realizing it, causing his friends to gasp in shock and his' Dragon's panic to skyrocket "Eren! What are you doing!?" Mikasa exclaimed and Eren stood there frozen for a moment "she's dying…" he breathed and took another automatic step back towards his Dragon, ignorant of the Titans approaching "whoa, Eren you can't go back! You'll get eaten!" Armin exclaimed but Eren just seamed more determined to reach his Dragon.

Mikasa grabbed hold of Eren as she tried to hold him back "I can't leave her!" Eren yelled and his Dragon roared weakly in protest "we can't let you go back there Eren!" Armin yelped back as he too begin trying to hold his friend back, in spite of his injuries "no, I can't leave!" Eren yelled back as he struggled "Eren!" His friends yelled in protest and amidst the confusion and turmoil, Eren didn't notice the extra voice "please, just let me save her!" he yelled back _"EREN!"_ a mental roar, accompanied that scream and Eren wince at the intense volume and mild headache it induced. Eren froze though as he realized he didn't know that voice. Not only that but he also hadn't heard it with his ears.

Eren simply stood there like a stump as his friends cast him confused looks while trying to pull him back. Eren simply couldn't shake the feeling that he recognized that voice, even though he knew he had never head it before, it just felt so familiar. The voice was feminine and would have been soft and gentle, had it not been screaming at him and it sounded a little bit like a teenager.

Eren's eyes then widened with a gasp as he slowly looked up at his Dragon, who was weakly looking back at him with desperation in her eyes _"Eren"_ she weakly spoke again and Eren fell back as his legs went limp, taking his friends with him as they hadn't been expecting his sudden lack of resistance.

Eren simply stared at his Dragon in shock. He knew she was no mere animal, it was obvious from just being around her as long as he had, but this…this was no animal at all. This was a thinking, feeling and intelligent creature before him. It was alive. It may not have been Human, but it was a person.

Eren blinked a few times "S-Scarlett?" He asked hesitantly and he felt happiness flow off her for a moment at him finally recognizing her for what she was. But the despair that quickly fallowed made Eren's breath catch in his throat _"go"_ Scarlett said with such sadness.

Eren felt tears streak down his face. His Dragon had just spoken her first words but they were telling him to go and leave her to die.

Eren understood the impossible decision his Dragon was making. If Eren left, then she would die, but if he stayed and helped her, then he would die. Knowing this did nothing to alleviate his anguish though as memories of everyone he's lost, come flooding back. He couldn't stand to loose anyone else, especially not his Dragon, he simply couldn't "no!" Eren yelled as he tried to get up and run to her again but his friends held him down.

Scarlett gave Eren a sad and sympathetic look but her face hardened over with rage as she heard the Titan getting closer. It was nearly on top of her now, and so with the last of her strength, she determined to go down swinging and at least buy time for her Rider as she turned her head to face the Titan with a growl. Scarlett then brought her hard back to let loose a roar.

**"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"**

Everyone froze upon hearing that roar, even scarlet and she looked just as surprised as everyone else. That roar was far louder then any she had made before. Scarlet then hesitantly opened her mouth see if she could replicate it, but before she could, another roar, tore though the air along with what sounded like a cannonball flying through the air and the next thing they knew, the area where the Titan once stood was enveloped by a cloud of dust as something crashed into it, sending ruble everywhere.

Everyone coughed as the dust settled "what was that?" Armin coughed out but then the air he had been so desperate for, caught in his throat as the dust settled and they stared in shock, amazement and a little fear at what was now standing on top of the Titan, emanating a feral growl.

A white and red Dragon, severally times larger then Scarlett, nearly fifteen meters long from tale to snout, was crushing the Titan beneath her own, massive weight and was growling at the Titan with such rage. But then the Dragon looked up and saw Scarlett and for the briefest of moments, there was no anger or hatred, only relief and carrying, but it passed quickly as the older Dragon turned her attention back to the Titan beneath her and let loose a roar so loud that it shook the earth.

The Dragon then leaped off the Titan and stood protectively between it and Scarlett. The Dragon then raised up her head and the kids saw a light shining in her mouth for a moment before she let loose a torrent of white flames unpon the Titan and sustained it far passed what was necessary, until all that was left was a puddle of molten rock.

The fires finally died down and all was still for a moment as Humans and young Dragon alike, both stared with wide eyes and mouths agape.

Eren was the first to snap out of it though and broke away from his friends as he ran to Scarlett. The older Dragon noticed and seamed as though it was about to intercept him, but someone speaking in a language the kids didn't understand, made the Dragon stop and look over her shoulder for a moment. A few more unrecognized words were spoken and the Dragon looked back and her eyes dilated and she calmed immensely upon seeing Scarlett and Eren embracing each other and Scarlett even seamed to growling up at the larger dragon in a protective manner.

Armin and Mikasa both stood still as stone as they continued to just stare up at the larger Dragon, completely scatterbrained. But then a Human jumped down from the Dragon's saddle and sprinted up to Scarlett as the larger Dragon moved in closer while humming in various tones to Scarlett.

The young Dragon was hesitant at first and still growled a little at then as she weakly rapped a wing around Eren, who was now, once again experiencing crippling exhaustion, he still managed to take a somewhat defensive stance though and the older Rider halted his sprinting a lifted his hands in a non-threatening manner.

They all just stared at each other for a long moment, the teen that rode the older Dragon looking between the kids and the young Dragon with amazement before looking up at his Dragon with an expression like they were having a conversation. He then looked to Eren and spoke "Eka weohnata néiat haina ono un onr skulblaka".

Everyone tensed at the nonsense that spewed forth from his mouth, but with it also came an odd sense of safety and assurance. The teen then took a breath like he was preparing for something and spoke again "I can help you and your Dragon" this time he spoke in broken German and with a bit of strain to his voice and an accent, like this was the fist time he had spoken the language.

Eren then looked to Scarlett for a moment then back at his friends. Then he looked up at the massive white Dragon, looming over them but was surprised to see all her anger gone and replaced with something else. Eren then jumped and recoiled from the white dragon a little for some reason and Scarlett growled a little, but then Eren placed a hand on her neck to calm her before turning back to the teen "ok" he called out the the older Rider and Dragon converged on them.

The Rider kneeled down and held his hands out over the young Dragon "Waíse Heill" he spoke and his hands glowed as he chanted in the Ancient Language and moved his glowing hands over Scarlett's prone form.

Meanwhile, the older Dragon was humming to Scarlett and sniffing every inch of her like a doting mother. Eventually she spoke a few mental words to her and the eyes of both Scarlett and Eren widened with surprise. Then, after a moment's hesitation, Scarlett extended her neck out and the two Dragons nuzzles each other.

It was then that the Rider took noticed of Eren's friends, still standing there in shock "you can come over you know?…we won't bite" he called over and the two seamed to snap out of it and hesitated before picking themselves up and limping towards them.

The older Dragon noticed their condition and hesitated for a moment before leaving Scarlett's side and moving over to them. The kids stiffened in response as they looked up at the Dragon nervously. The Dragon noticed and gave a huff _"I will not harm you"_ she spoke and just like that, the kid's jaws went slack again "s-she can talk!?" Armin exclaimed with astonishment and Eren looked over at them with confusion "yah, didn't you hear her and Scarlett earlier?" He asked and they looked at him in shock "n-no" Armin stuttered.

The Rider glanced over at them for a moment and paused in his chanting "a Dragon's first words are meant for their Rider and no one else. And Thalia was only speaking to you and…Scarlett" he paused as he tried to speak the name, still having trouble with the language. He also cast a concerned glance at Scarlett though, upon hearing that she already had a name, in spite of apparently only just now finding her voice.

The Rider brushed that aside for the moment however and refocused on the Dragon while Thalia lent Armin and Mikasa a paw to sit on. Then, using her wings, "hopped" back over to the the others and landed as gently as she could before letting the two kids down.

The two kids felt incredibly small beneath Thalia as they process everything "so…they're called Dragons" Armin ventured hesitantly and Thalia bright her head down to their level _"it is the closest word in your language for our kind"_ she said before turning her attention back to Scarlett as the Rider grimaced and lowered his hands "what happened to her?" He asked while looking at Eren.

The young Rider's eyes widened for a moment and he looked down at his hand as he remembered "I don't really know…all I know is that she healed me somehow" he explained and the older Rider looked at him with confusion for a moment before he took notice of Eren's new and unnatural hair color, and then how his left pant leg and sleeve were ripped and realization dawned on him as he reach up and traced the scar over his eye.

The older Rider then proceeded to curse in his native language while Thalia doted over Scarlett with a series of whines and hums. The Rider then looked to Eren "it's a good thing you did not leave, else your Dragon would be dead" he said and Eren clung to his Dragon tighter. The Rider then realized his mistake "I apologize, I am still not…accustomed to your tongue. Your Dragon will be fine, so long as we work fast and you remain nearby" he tried to explain.

Armin finally felt collected and confident enough to formulate proper words "who are you and what is going on?" He asked and the Rider looked over at him with his multi-colored eyes before giving a sigh "my name is Ruaidhrí Mayson, Rider of Thalia Razor Claws, but please…call me Roy" he said, again struggling with the language "as for what is happening, that is a discussion too long and complicated for this place and time" he said as he turned his attention back to Scarlett.

The three kids were a little disappointed at being kept out of the loop after everything they've been through, but at the moment they were just happy to be alive. Still, Armin had a few questions he wanted answered "ok, but happened to her and Eren?" He asked and Roy sighed "what happened was wild magic, and as for why it's hurting Scarlet…she is still too-err…young…to preform such a feat" he explained.

Earlier today, the kids might have laughed at the mention of magic, but after what they just witnessed, they were willing to believe almost anything "so, what can we do?" Eren asked and the Rider sighed as he rubbed his temples and looked to his Dragon and spoke to her in English before looking to Eren, who was looking more exhausted by the second. He then grew a reserved look for a moment before reaching into his pack and pulling out a circlet.

Thalia yelped upon seeing this and looked it over with wide eyes and the two had a silent conversation for a moment before the Dragon whined with a sad exasperation and Roy took a breath to steel his nerves "here, put this on" he said and held out the circlet. Eren looked at it with confusion for a moment "please, just take it" Roy said with a reluctance to his voice.

Eren was a little taken back by his tone but hesitantly took the circlet and put it on. The effect was instantaneous as the sapphire in the circlet glowed "whoa!" Eren yelped with surprise and gasped as he and Scarlett both shot up with a sudden surge of energy.

Roy sighed "that should give you enough energy to keep you both going until your Dragon recovers, just be sure to keep close to her" he explained but then grew a slight edge to his voice "but I expect to get that circlet back once you are recovered" he said, earning quick nod from Eren.

Roy then looked to the others "I best deal with those injuries before they get worse" he said and moved to them. Mikasa was still a little weary of him though and gave him a glare, though she made no move to stop him. The message was clear to the Rider "don't try anything funny" and the Roy smirked at her in response as he looked her foot over "I'll need to reset this before I can do anything about it" he said and Mikasa nodded as she prepared herself for the pain. Roy cast a quick spell to dull the pain before resting the bone with a quick and sickening snap. He was amazed that she didn't so much as squeak though, even with the pain dulled it would still hurt like hell. Roy then cast the healing spell again and the kids watched with amazement as the torn flesh around Mikasa's ankle, stitched it's self back together with a slight itching sensation.

Roy then turned to Armin and grimaced, to which Armin sighed "I know" he said, having more experience with being injured then he'd like. Roy offered a sympathetic smile in response as he went about resetting Armin's MANY injuries, both old and new. Setting the bones and eliciting several strained noises from Armin as he fought back the dulled pain. Thalia finally took her attention off of Scarlett for a moment as she glance at Armin _"you are very brave"_ she complimented him for his stoic defiance of the pain that had surly been racking his body up to that point.

Armin still felt incredibly awkward, speaking with a Dragon "well, I've had my fare share of injuries lately" he said sheepishly as he tried to ignore the itchy sensation of his flesh stitching it's self together and his bones mending themselves. The relief that came with it though was more then worth it and it showed in his face. The boy then looked to Roy "my name is Armin by the way, and this and Mikasa and that's Eren" he introduced them and Roy smiled at him "it is a pleasure to meet you all" he said and Armin arched an eyebrow at him. It wasn't just his accent or his lack of experience with their language that caught his attention but also his dialect that got him. The way he spoke and oriented sentences and the phrases he used. It was just so foreign to him and it just filled Armin with more and more questions.

Armin's curiosity was banished though as he remembered something important "wait! What about the other Titans!?" He said with worry. With all the commotion and the rather dramatic appearance of Thalia and Roy, he had forgotten about them.

The Rider simply looked at him in confusion though as he paused in his healing, until Thalia made a few whining noises in his direction "oh, you reefer to those creatures" he said while looked back to where the Titans had been approaching from and the others fallowed his gaze only to gasp upon seeing them all dead and in varying states of evaporation. Thalia snorted with distain_ "we slew them upon arriving here"_ she explained and the kids felt relief at knowing the Titans were dead and the sun had long since dipped below the horizon.

Armin finally felt the itching sensation he had been feeling end and looked down and to his amazement, his injuries were fully healed and he hesitantly stood and smiled as he felt no pain "wow" he breathed as, for the first time in days, he wasn't in pain or uncomfortable "thank you" he said to Roy but then noticed the Rider looked a little tired and was rubbing his head "hay, are you ok?" He asked and Roy looked up at him "I am fine, just not that good at casting magic, so I get tired easer then most when using it" he explained before standing up and stretching his limbs and turning his attention back to Scarlett. Roy then looked back up to Thalia and had a silent conversation before looking over the area and everyone present and sighing "we have a safe place to stay. You can come with us if you wish" he said. Of corse he knew they didn't really have a choice but he felt better offering them one.

The kids looked among themselves for a moment and judging by how Eren was emoting, he was having a silent conversation with his Dragon, which surprised Roy given how young the Dragon was and how inexperienced Eren surly was. Eren then looked to Roy "well, we don't really have a choice do we" he said and Roy smiled "the fact that you four have survived out here for at least two weeks, suggests otherwise" he said, earning a surprised but happy smile from Eren.

Roy looked to Scarlett, then the others "It will be a tight fit but Thalia will carry Scarlett while we ride in the saddle" he explained and Thalia made an agitated sound at the prospect of carrying so much weight, but it disappeared when she looked to the hurt Dragon.

The kids on the other hand, wore shock expressions "wait, you mean…" Armin trailed off while looking at Thalia, then up to the sky and the others fallowed suit as realization dawned on them. Roy had to surprise the grin that came to his face.

Eren flashed back to the dream he had back when Scarlett first hatched and felt excitement for a moment as he finally understood it. But his excitement was dulled by a feeling of disappointment and he looked over to see Scarlett looking down with a slight growl and he felt jealousy of all things coming off her.

Eren then understood what had her so upset and suddenly he wasn't so excited for the flight. His first flight should be with her, no one else.

Eren looked to the others with confection. They couldn't afford to move slowly if where they were going was far away but Eren couldn't shake the guilt that welled up inside him. Roy and Thalia noticed Eren's guilty expression and Scarlett's agitated one and instantly understood, but they didn't have a choice. Scarlett was too weak to travel or be separated from Eren and it was too far to travel on foot.

And so Roy walked over to them and helped Eren to his feet "I'm sorry" he quietly said to them and Eren was surprised that he under stood what he was going through. Still, Eren reluctantly climbed atop the saddle with help from Roy before he jumped up himself.

Thalia groaned from the extra weight but it wasn't as bad as it would have been had they been older, and so she stood up, eliciting a yelp from Armin as he clung to Eren to hold himself steady and Mikasa held onto him. Eren didn't so much as react though as he couldn't help but feel how wrong that he was riding this Dragon first, even given the dire circumstances.

Eren then looked to his Dragon laying there and he made a decision. He may not be able to avoid riding this Dragon, but he could ignore it. And so he shut his eyes and did his best to ignore anything and everything around him, instead focusing solely on clinging to his weaken Dragon's mind and he immediately felt surprise radiating off her, but then gratitude _"thank"_ Scarlett said with her still broken German and Eren smiled as she did the same as him, blocking out everything and focusing solely on him.

While Eren and his Dragon were doing this, Thalia lifted off the ground and hovered over Scarlett before coming down and grabbing her. She then drove her wings down and gained altitude, eliciting reactions of wonder and terror from Armin as they ascended and flew off to safety.

All the while, Armin couldn't help but ponder everything that had happened. First they were attacked by a Titan and nearly died. Then Eren was injured a miraculously healed, only for Scarlett to collapse. Then they were saved by this stranger and his Dragon, which also turned out to be an intelligent creature, not an animal.

Armin couldn't help but chuckle at the insanity of it all and his mind swam with questions as they were now FLYING through the sky. He still didn't fully trust Roy but they didn't really have any choice, and beside, he hadn't done anything but help them so far, and Armin was determined to get some answers once they reached their destination.

And so, as they flew off into the horizon, Roy glanced down toward Scarlett as, for the first time in moths, he felt Thalia relax and he turned his attention back to the horizon as he though _we finally found her._

* * *

**A/N - **Just to clarify. I said earlier that underlined words would be translated from the ancient language and that will still hold true, but only during conversations. other times when the whole point is the language it's self, it will not be translated until the author's note and spells will fallow the same principle.

Now that, that's cleared up, the translations for what he said during the story.

"Eka weohnata néiat haina ono un onr skulblaka" - "I will not harm you and your Dragon"

"Waíse Heill" - "be heal"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - **Well I'm back and this is a pretty big mile marker for me, because this story has now exceeded a thousand views. Also, this is about were my computer ate everything I had written on this story, forcing me to re-wright it from scratch a SECOND TIME.

So yah, this is a pretty big moment for me.

Fair warning though, this chapter has a lot of exposition. Way to much of it in fact, and I couldn't even fit it all into this chapter so it's going to bleed over into the next one a little and I am sorry about that.

But anyway, thank you to everyone who's read up to this point and as ways, happy reading.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

The stars slowly began to shine as the last of the sun's rays, gave way to the black void of the night sky.

The silhouette of a large, winged beast, temporarily blocked the light of a few stars, before moving on to others as it flew.

Thalia drove her wings down tiredly as she flew. It wasn't physical exhaustion or the added weight that caused her wings to hesitate in fallowing her commands though. All the emotional tension that she had been holding in and compressing like a loaded spring, had finally come loose. For the first time since before even arriving in this strange and insane land of giant cannibals, Thalia had finally relaxed. The Dragon hadn't even realized how much tension she had been holding in all this time and now she was feeling the cost of it, now that she had finally allowed her emotional muscles to relax.

Thalia stole a glance down at the young Dragon in her paws as she flew and was a little concerned to see her head, hanging and her eyed clenched shut _"she's ok Thalia"_ Roy silently told his Dragon, causing her to look back up and glance over her shoulder at him. Roy then shifted so she could see Eren a little better, who also had his eyes clenched shut and was just sitting there, holding onto Roy so he wouldn't go flying off _"they both are like that and their minds are dug into each other like their lives depend on it. I think their trying to…ignore the flight, and focus on each other"_ Roy explained.

Thalia's eyes widened slightly and she felt something like pride and joy radiate from within her _"I am glad to see their bond is already so strong"_ Thalia said but then a sense of guilt worked it's way in_ "I only wish they could have flown with each other_ _first_" she added and Roy sighed _"I know, but in a way it will still be meaningful since they're intentionally blocking out everything"_ Roy added and Thalia perked up a little. Roy then glanced back at Eren _"still, it is surprising that they are so close already, especially since he only now knows what his partner really is"_ he added and Thalia gave a huff in acknowledgment _"indeed, but it is not unwelcome, and I am just happy she is alive and has found her Rider"_ she admitted.

Roy gave a sigh _"yes and that is what I find even more amazing"_ Roy said before looking back over his shoulder at the kids behind him. Even before Eren's little trip down the Titan's gullet, the kids had looked terrible. Their clothes were ether rags or patched together, oversized and scavenged. Plus it looked and smelled as if they hadn't bathed properly in weeks and judging by the age of Eren's Dragon, Roy had a good guess how many.

But, no matter what reservations Roy may have had in revealing himself to locals as opposed to simply dropping them off at Wall Rose, Roy's heart went out to these kids. They had clearly been through a lot, and besides, the fact that they already had prolonged contact with a Dragon, meant any plans he and Thalia had for the future, had just gone down the drain. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Roy couldn't help but chuckle as he watch Armin, looking all around in wonder, when he wasn't clinging to Mikasa for dear life. Said girl however, was not as focused on the flight and was instead focusing on Eren with concerned eyes _"I still can't believe these kids have survived out here this long and found the egg"_ Roy thought to his Dragon and felt the same feeling radiate off her in turn_ "yes, it is remarkable that they have survived this long and that she decided to hatch for that boy"_ Thalia responded and Roy grunted in agreement. Dragons, usually delayed hatching in times of distress to ensure safe conditions when they hatched and to make sure they're not being tricked. Granted Roy didn't know how long the egg was lost, what condition it was in or how long the kids had it before it hatched, but still…_that might also explain why their bond is already so strong_ Roy pondered as he turned to face forward again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Armin felt like he was about to explode with excitement as he looked all around them _this is amazing!_ he thought as he watched the land fly by, below them and he looked out and saw over Wall Maria, out in the distance "Eren, can you believe this!?" He called over the wind with excitement but frowned with concern when he didn't get a response "hay Eren, are you ok!?" He called out and Mikasa began eyeing Eren with even more concern "Eren!?" she called out as well and grew more concerned when there was still no answer "Eren!?" She called again and went to shake him _"leave him be"_ a voice called out from inside Armin and Mikasa's heads.

The kids both jumped with surprise. They were still getting used to Eren and now the Dragon they now rode, being able to communicate telepathically, so it still came as quite a shock to hear this new voice and it took them a moment to realize it was Roy "you can communicate like this too!?" Armin asked and Roy glanced back at them "_Eren has already leaned to communicate with others like this?"_ Roy asked with surprise and Armin nodded.

Roy and Thalia both shared shocked expressions. Communicating with his Dragon was one thing but to already know how to communicate telepathically with others was unprecedented for one as inexperienced and uninitiated as Eren "why are you even communicating like that anyway?" Armin asked, snapping Roy from his thoughts_ "it's easer then yelling over the winds"_ he answered with a hint of sarcasm and Armin blinked as said winds buffeted against his face "oh" he answered simply.

Mikasa grimaced though as she eyed Eren with concern "but what about Eren!? What's wrong with him!?" she asked and Roy looked back at her_ "aside from focusing on keeping his Dragon alive, he is trying to block out what's happening around him and focus solely on her"_ he explained and the two kids looked at him like he had just told them fire is cold "what? But that's so unlike Eren! Why would he want to ignore all of this!?" Armin asked while looking back out at the sky they were flying through.

Roy gave an exasperated sigh _"it is…not something that's ease for those who aren't bonded to a Dragon to understand…"_ he started and cast his gaze down to Thalia who gave a sad hum_ "their first flight should be together, not with me"_ Thalia explained for him and Armin and Mikasa looked at each other with confusion. Roy sighed again _"look, it's a Rider thing ok. It's actually a good thing what Eren's doing"_ Roy explained but the kids still didn't quite understand. Armin seamed a little bit more willing to accept Roy's explanation for the time being but Mikasa was still concerned and continued to watch over Eren with concern.

Armin hummed as he looked to his surrounding once again and it didn't escape him that they were moving away from Wall Rose "where are we going anyway!?" He asked and Roy perked up as he gazed further out ahead of them_ "there"_ he answers simply while pointing ahead and Armin leaned over a little to see a forest of giant trees.

Armin was confused at first but then he saw it and his eyes widened with amazement. In a small clearing in the forest, was a tree, easily four times as big as the others around it and up in the top was an a landing, leading into an enormous hollow that could comfortably accommodate two Dragons the size of Thalia, and along the sides, Armin could have sworn he saw windows and a chimney protruding from the top.

Armin stared at the tree with amazement "Mikasa, you need to see this" he said and the girl hesitated for a moment before taking her eyes off Eren and looking out at the tree and her eyes widened "h-how…I've never seen a tree that big before!" she said and Roy chuckled _"magic"_ he answered simply but with amusement in his mental voice _"be carful though. The tree is warded to keep those creatures off…Titans I believe you call them. So if you try climbing up from the outside, you will be blasted back as if you were by a cannon"_ Roy warned as they came in closer.

Armin cast Roy a suspicious glance at his words, not just at the mention of magic though but his apparent ignorance of the Titans_ I wander… _he thought as he began to form a theory.

Armin's thoughts were interrupted though as Thalia flew into the hollow of the cave and he briefly felt an odd tingling sensation as they crossed the threshold like static electricity and was amazed as the cool night air, seamed to disappear, instead feeling more like a drafty house before the hearth was lit.

Thalia set Scarlett on the ground and then hovered over a little before setting down and laying on her belly. Roy then turned in the saddled and shook Eren "hay, we have arrived" he said, with words this time and still having trouble with the language and Eren's eyes flutters open "where are we?" he asked and Roy thought the question over for a moment, trying to find the right words "home" he finally answered but inside he wasn't quite convinced of that himself.

Eren looked around the dark hollow but then his eyes flew wide and he immediately zeroed in on his Dragon "Scarlett!" He called and hopped down off Thalia without hesitation and ran to his Dragon and latched onto her as she rapped a wing around him while weakly coiling her neck around him as much as she could.

Roy smiled at the scene while Thalia hummed in approval but Armin and Mikasa didn't know what to think as Roy helped them down. Armin then began looking around, trying to make out the dark room "I can't see anything" he muttered and Roy smirked before looked up to Thalia, who gave almost amused hum before stretching her head up and gently breathing white flames into makeshift braziers, hanging from the walls and Roy looked to a few of the torches and candles around the room "Brisingr" he called out and a white flame, burst to life in his hands and with careful precision, he split the flame and sent it flying about the room like embers, each one going strait for one of the before mentioned fuel sources and igniting them.

The fires quickly shifted to a natural yellow by the time the two were finished and Armin and Mikasa gasped as the hollow was illuminated. It was massive, with unfinished balconies and windows, lining the walls at head level with Thalia, and both on the balconies and on the ground there was furniture that looked as though it had been grown directly from the tree. In fact everything made of wood and the room it's self, looked as though it had been grown from the tree.

Against one wall there was a fireplace, with a stone chimney, leading up and out of the tree and in front of it was a chair and a small table holding some books and off to the sides were a few extra rooms, but most looked unfinished. And finally, against another wall was a "chamber" of shorts. A massive room with what looked like a bed and next to it was a large collection of leaves and stow, big enough to accommodate a Dragon of Thalia's size.

While Armin and Mikasa were still looking around in wonder, Eren was still rapped up in Scarlett's wing. Eventually she uncoiled her neck and he pulled back enough for them to look at each other and after a moment, they noticed the change in the light. Eren rubbed his eyes a little and then took in his surroundings "whoa!" he yelped with surprise and looked around the hollow with wonder.

Roy chuckled slightly at the kids' reactions_ "show off"_ Thalia silently teased him and Roy rolled his eyes_ "you're one to talk"_ he responded before turning his attention back to the kids, more specifically Eren and his Dragon.

Roy walked up to them and kneeled beside them as he cast another healing spell to see how she was recovering. Eren took notice and pulled himself free from gawking at the massive hallow in favor of learning how his Dragon was doing "so, how is she?" He asked and Roy spared him a glance before turning back to his work and after a moment, lowered his hands and turned his full attention to Eren "she has recovered enough that she can survive without you lending her strength, but it would still be best if you stay close" he explained, though it was unlikely that Eren would be leaving his Dragon's side, anytime soon. Roy then fixed Eren with a stare and held his hand out "now, I'd like that circlet back" he said and Eren blinked with confusion for a moment before remembering the circlet on his head pulled it off and handed it over. eren immediately felt drained but not as bad as he did before.

Eren shook it off though as the floor shook a little as Thalia walked over and doted over Scarlett, giving off a few hummus and chirps, which Scarlett returned. Eren on the other hand, just looked awkward as he sat there under his Dragon's wing, most likely feeling the emotions his Dragon.

Meanwhile Roy was looking the circlet over and examined the gem in it, which no longer glowed as it had before _it's completely drained _he thought but then heard hesitant footsteps and stowed the circlet before turning to see Armin and Mikasa, walking over and looking between him, Scarlett and Thalia.

After a long moment, Armin finally worked up the courage to voice his questions "so…Roy…" he started, a little hesitantly "who exactly are you and what is going on here?" He asked and Roy ran a hand down his face with a sigh as he muttered in his native language "where to start?" He said rhetorically as he looked between the kids and the young Dragon and gave a thoughtful hum "look I know you guys have been through a lot but it might be easer to explain if I knew how much you already know, so do you mind explaining your side of the story first?" He asked and the kids gave him hesitant and suspicious looks.

Roy gave a sigh "I swear that I speak the truth and will do so of why we are here" he swore in the Ancient Language, earning several surprised and confused looks from the kids "what was that?" Eren asked as Armin rubbed his chin in though "you said something similar to that before, and both times I've felt almost like I could trust you…why is that?" He asked and Roy sighed again "I swore in the Ancient Language that I am speaking the truth and will tell you why we are here" he explained and Armin arched an eyebrow while the others looked at him in confusion "I don't see how it's any different just because it's in a different language" Mikasa said with her usually monotone, which had returned now that she'd had time to process everything.

Mikasa mask cracked ever so slightly though, as Thalia gave a low growl _"do not take such oaths so lightly. The Ancient Language is the language of magic, each word embodying the nature of that which it represents. No lie can be uttered in the Ancient Language and no oath sworn in it may be broken. It becomes physically impossible for one to do so once done"_ Thalia explained with compleat seriousness and the kids looked up at her with surprise before looking back to Roy, who nodded "indeed, I now must tell you the truth of our purpose here, wether I wish to or not. It is also partially for this reason that you felt as though you could trust me both times. Even to those who are…unversed in the language, can understand the idea being conveyed on an…unconscious level" Roy explained while giving a light grunt of irritation at having to string together so manny foreign words.

The kids looked amongst each other as they thought over Roy and Thalia's words. They had no way to confirm they're claims but if it was true, then Roy and Thalia were putting a lot of faith in them.

Armin eventually sighed "alright, I guess it all started when Wall Maria fell" he started and for the next few minuets, the three of them told their story, explaining every painful detail and Roy and his Dragon were both sympathetic and amazed by the tail. They were really surprised when they heard how soon Scarlett hatched for Eren and when Eren explained how he discovered his telepathy. And then finally there was Eren getting eaten by the Titan and Roy and Amin noticed Eren grow a distant look as he recalled the event for the first time since Scarlett ripped him out of the Titan's gut, and said Dragon pulled him closer with her wing and coiled her neck around him again.

Over the course of the story, the group had moved over to the fireplace and Roy had gathered up a few chairs and some bread and other foods and drink that the kids had been deprived of for weeks and Roy felt a ping of sympathy as the kids looked at the meager chairs, fireplace and food as if they were gazing at the gates of paradice. These kids truly had been through hell and they partook of the creature comforts they were provided, almost reverently, though Eren opted to lay on the the ground with his Dragon.

There was a moment of silence as they finished their tail and Roy found his gaze lingering on Eren's replaces limbs and unnaturally colored hair as he unconsciously traced the scar over his eye and Thalia gave a low hum as she draped a wing over him, which was a little awkward look, with him sitting and a chair and her being so massive. The Rider then sighed as he rested his forehead on his clasped hands as the light of the fire cast shadows over half of his face. Eventually, Roy took a deep breath and looked up at the kids seated in front of him "well…damn" he said with a mirthless chuckle and fixed the kids with a look of respect "what you kids have done…it's…I can think of some Rider who would give out if put in the same situation as you…" he mused and Thalia rumbled in agreement.

The kids weren't quite sure what to make of the compliment. They were still dealing with the surreality of the situation and hadn't quite come to terms with what Thalia was and that their adorable little Scarlett would most likely grow to be that big some day.

Mikasa managed to keep her head on strait though as she cast Roy her usually, neutral stare "ok, now it's your turn to explained" she said and her friends immediately snapped out of whatever thoughts they hand and gave the Rider their undivided attention. Armin in particular, seamed especially interested.

Roy and Thalia shared a looked and they both took deep breaths to steel themselves for the coming explanation "ok, this is going to be a very long and crazy story" he started as he contemplated how to begin "well first off, in case you haven't figured it out yet, me, Thalia and Scarlett, are not from the Walls" he said.

Eren's eyes widened in shock and even Mikasa's emotionless mask, cracked a little at the news, but Armin on the other hand, while still amazed, simply muted "I knew it" causing the others to look at him "Armin?" Mikasa asked and the boy blinked a few times as he realized he'd interrupted "oh, sorry it's just…well there are different accents in the Walls but only one language and while he doesn't look extremely different like you Mikasa, he still doesn't look like our race exactly. Additionally, there's never been anything recorded about Dragons in our history, even in my parents' book, so he couldn't be from inside the Walls" he explained.

Roy made a mental note to not underestimate Armin. The kid might not have been physically gifted in any sense but he was sharp. Eren was still staring at Roy in shock though "you…your from outside!? You've seen what it's like out there!?" He asked with excitement. Thalia let out a massive puff of air and shifted her weight to remind them of her massive presence and cut off Eren's excited questions before they began _"calm yourself. We do not know of the land surrounding your walled world nor where it exists in relation to our land"_ she explained, eliciting confused looks from the others.

Roy lifted a hand to stop them before they asked "calm down, we'll get to that eventually. For now just let us explain" he said and waited for them to settle down before continuing. Roy then sighed as he leaned back and laid a hand on his Dragon, sitting behind him, as he dug up the painful memories "we come from a land called Alagaësia, and it is a land very different from this one" he said and saw Eren's face contort as he tried to sound out the word "you do not have to try to pronounce it" Roy said and saw Eren physically relax "oh thank god" he muttered and Roy shook his head with a smile "anyway, Alagaësia is very different from this land. The most glaring difference is that it is not infested with giant, mindless cannibals" he said and just sat there for a moment as he waited for inevitable explosion.

"WHAT!?"

And there it was as Eren screamed in disbelief and Roy nodded "indeed. The only creatures that could possible match the…Titans, in shear ferocity and power are Dragons, but even then Dragon are highly intelligent and far more powerful as you no doubt have noticed" he said while eyeing the still stunned Eren "anyway, as a result of this, we aren't constrained by walls in the same since you are. Most towns still have walls but none as massive as yours and usually people could come and go as they pleased"

"Additionally, we've access to the majority of our land and have a far greater variety of terrain" Roy continued as the kids listened with stunned expressions. It was all just so unbelievable to them, the idea of a land without Titans "wait, so you've see other places, like the sea!?" Armin asked with excitement in his eyes and Thalia gave a puff of steam through her nose _"our home, Vroengard, rested on an island out at sea, just off from the mainland_" she said and Armin's eyes widened with wonder.

Roy took note of Armin's reaction but continued "yes, and the mainland was also home to a desert and mountains, as well as other environments. The land is also divided up among the various Human kingdoms as well as the Elven and Dwarf kingdoms and the various Urgal tribes" he explained but paused as they just gave him funny looks.

Eventually Roy realized his mistake "oh, apologies. Humans and Dragons are not the only races that live in Alagaësia. In fact Dragons and Dwarves are the only truly native races of the land and Humans are the most recent" Roy explained quickly before getting back on track "anyway, hundreds of years ago, before Humans arrived on the continent, there was a war between Dragons and Elves and it ended with the blood pack, a magical bond between the two races in which some Dragon eggs would have a spell cast on them so that they would not hatch until they come into contact with the one they deem good match to bond with" he explained.

Eren stiffened a little and looked over at Scarlett for a moment "yes, you're beginning to understand how rare and significant what happed with you and Scarlett is" Roy commented, drawing Eren's attention again _"Dragons only bond with Humans from the ages of twelve years old to about twenty and Elves of equivalent age and they will wait centuries before hatching if they must"_ Thalia explained and Eren looked at Scarlett again with a greater understanding of how important their bond was.

Armin noticed something off though "wait, centuries!? How long do Dragons live?" he asked and Roy quickly raised his hands "patience, we'll get to that in a moment" he said, hoping to avoid that particular point of interest till last.

Roy pinches the bride of his nose as he tried to not only arrange the massive amount of information he had to explain but also translate it _damn it there is just too much of this to explain in one go_ he though before giving a sigh and refocusing "now, back on track. The purpose of this pact was to form a group to maintain the peace between the races and became known as the Dragon Rider Order. Humans we later added to the pact after our own war with the Elves and we've been acting as an elite force of peace keepers for the past few centuries…or at least…we used to…" he trailed off with a bitter edge to his voice that the kids picked up on.

Roy stood and walked over to stand over the fire and ran a hand though his hair as he collected his thoughts and Thalia gave a sound somewhere between a whine and a growl as she drew her head in close and batted her snout again Roy gently.

The kids began to grow a little worried as they observed Roy's distressed condition "w…what happened?" Eren hesitantly asked and Roy let out a shaky breath "we were…betrayed…" he finally answered and turned slightly to look back at them and they noticed his eyes with little read with unshed tears.

At this point, Thalia's whimper/growl, had shifted into a full growl as she peeled back her lips, revealing sharp teeth, her eyes became slits and she dug her claws into the floor _"Galbatorix"_ she spat with venom dripping from her words and the kids shifted away slight with nervousness and Thalia suddenly calmed slightly in response but it was obvious that she was still fuming.

Armin "w-who is Gal…Galb…" Armin trailed off hesitantly as he tried to pronounce the foreign word "Galbatorix" Roy supplied with a sigh of barely contained rage but he took a deep breath to calm his nerves before turning fully to face them "he was a Dragon Ride, but he and his partner were ambushed by Urgals and his Dragon was killed" Roy explained and Eren instinctively clung to Scarlett a little tighter as Roy shook his head "the bond between Dragon and Rider runs deep and loosing his partner drove him mad with grief, as it does with most all who loose their partner. And then when the elders refused him another Dragon, he took…unthinkable measures…" he said.

Before the kids could ask anything, Thalia let loose a feral and enraged growl _"he murdered a Rider and took his young Dragon partner and forced him to bond with him, driving the Dragon insane. He then conspired with Shades and convinced thirteen other Riders to join him and then the betrayers destroyed our home and slathered nearly every Dragon in Alagaësia!"_ she fumed with months of pent up anger and smoke billowed from her nostrils and between her clenched teeth.

The kids froze at the Dragons words and Scarlett's ears folded back and she whimpered a little "wait, are you saying…" Eren trailed off as he held Scarlett tighter and Roy gave a depressed sigh "yes…aside from the traitors, the occupants of this tree may very well be the only living Dragons left" he said with a voice that spoke of utter defeat.

The kids sat there stunned by what had just been said. It was all already unbelievable as it was, but the idea that such massive and powerful creature could be wiped out, just seamed impossible to them. Eren couldn't help but feel the loss and pain that flowed off his Dragon ether and that just made him feel worse.

Armin felt the tension in the air as he looked between the depressed and enraged Rider and Dragon, then he looked to Scarlett and he smiled slightly "well, at least you two are still alive" he said and Thalia's mood immediately eases as she looked over at Scarlett _"yes, there is that"_ she agreed with no anger as she came in and nuzzled Scarlett, who leaned into it and Eren smiled as his Dragon calmed down.

Roy smiled too "yes, we were fortunate that we had her egg with us when Vroengard fell. And we've been at our wits end trying to find her" he said and Armin arched an eyebrow "why did you have her egg?" He asked and Roy looked up at his Dragon and had a privet discussion. Thalia then looked down to Scarlett and gave a happy purr _"because she is my hatchling"_ she reviled and Armin and Mikasa stared at her in shock while Eren simply smiled. This did not go unnoticed by Mikasa "you knew?" She asked and Eren shrugged "she told me and Scarlett both when they saved us earlier, and plus, it's kind of hard not to notice when I'm literally feeling her emotions" he explained.

Roy smiled as the tension in the air evaporated and the mood became more happy. Which is why he regretted what he had to do next.

Roy sighed "I hate to bring the mood back down, but there's more that you need to know" he said and his serious demeanor did not escape the others "Armin, you asked how long Dragons live" he started and said boy nodded "well…so long as they aren't brought low by grievous wound, poison or disease, then a Dragon with never die" he tried to explain and watched the kids look at him with confusion at first but then their eyes widened with realization "wait, you're saying their basically immortal!?" Armin asked in shock and Thalia huffed _"we can still be killed, but we do not suffer the afflictions of aging and we grow continuously"_ she explained.

The kids took a few moments to let that sink in but then Armin caught on to something "wait, you said that people could go mad when their Dragon dies, but what happens when the Rider grows old and dies?" he asked and Scarlett tensed a little but Roy and Thalia looked at each other with worry before turning their attention to Eren "yes…about that…" he said as he tried to explain it without causing them any stress but in the end, all he could do was give it to them strait "Eren" he said with absolute seriousness and Eren began to grow nervous "Eren, our Dragons ideally do not need to be concerned with us dying of old age because…from the moment we bond, we share in our partner's near immortality" he stated.

Had Eren been standing, he would have fell on his rear with shock as his eyes grew as wide as possible and he and his friends stared in absolute shock.

A multitude of emotions ran through Eren's head, but as he processed everything, he began to feel excited _I could see everything. It wouldn't matter how long it took, I could see the whole world_ he though, but then he looked up and saw his friends and the hard reality hit him _I'll outlive them…I'll loose the last bit of my family left and I'll be alone…we might not get to see the world together… _he thought as his depression returned and grew worse.

Scarlett noticed and pulled Eren closer with her wing _"not…alone…"_ she tried to reassure him with her broken german and it did help a little but not much. The others looked over at Eren as this realization hit them too and Roy and Thalia took notice of just how badly it hit Mikasa "i-is there anything we can do?" Eren asked numbly, without even thinking and Roy gave him a sympathetic look. He had see and experienced many relationships and friendships ripped apart by becoming a Rider and he gave a sigh "there are spells that can extend life but I'm not versed enough in magic to even attempt them and even if I was, your brains would eventually rot away while your bodies remained the same" he explained.

Roy saw Eren practically deflate at those words and Mikasa looked near a mental breakdown. Roy grimaced and looked up at Thalia _"Thalia…maybe we should tell them"_ he silently said and Thalia gave a slight growl, carful not to let the others hear _"I know you feel for these children and it is especially strong for me, being a Dragon, but we do not yet know if we can fully trust them"_ she said.

Roy fixed her with a glare _"Thalia, do you honestly think these children would use this knowledge against us?"_ He asked and Thalia huffed as her tail whipped a little _"no…but what you are suggesting is not a matter to be taken lightly"_ she retorted _"Thalia, look at them. They've suffered enough and…"_ he paused to take a breath _"Thalia, we can't help the people here as we are, not with my…condition…"_ he said and Thalia laid her ears back and whimpered a little _"now we have a new Rider and two promising candidates…Thalia, this isn't just a chance to do what's right and help them, this is our only chance"_ Roy said and Thalia grew quiet for a moment as she looked over at the depressed kids and pondered her Rider's words. Eventually she gave the Dragon equivalent of a sigh_ "alright"_ she relented.

Roy smiled as he turned to the kids "there might be a way" he said, immediately earning their undivided attention and was a little taken aback by the near fanatical look Mikasa gave him.

Roy took a breath "there is a slim chance that we might be able to help" he said and Mikasa jumped to her feet "how?" She said with a cold determination that sent chills down even Thalia's spine. Regardless, Roy met her gaze as he said "we have more Dragon eggs".


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** \- Welp, another midnighter which means there's probably spelling errors galore, and I still couldn't fit all the exposition in this chapter ether.

Admittedly, I probably could have, but I just had so much trouble with this chapter and figuring out when it made since for them to know this stuff.

The next chapter will be the last majors info dump for a while, I promise…unless of corse you people like this stuff. I personally do myself but it's really hard for me to keep everything strait but I'm willing to suffer for my readers.

Anyway, enough rabbling from me. Happy Reading.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Everyone was deathly quiet for a long moment. Only the sound of the wind hissing through the leaves of the tree, filled the air.

Surprisingly, it was Scarlett that broke the silence as she gave a happy roar and hopped to her feet, forcing Eren to stand, but she promptly fell back to her belly as her exhaustion reminded her of it's grip, but the happy expression never left her and Eren couldn't help but smile as her happiness flooded his mind "there are more?!" He asked with surprise and oddly hopefulness in his voice and Roy's serious expression cracked a little as he gave a small smile "yes, several" he answered with a happy but subdued sigh.

Armin arched an eyebrow "but I thought you said you only had Scarlett's egg because she was Thalia's daughter?" He asked and Roy nodded "yes, and it is also for this reason that we were able to save the other eggs" he answered before looking up at Thalia with an awkward expression "you see, Dragons are very…protective, of the young, so when their hatchlings bond with Riders, they sometimes get a little, too protective and take the hatchling away" he explained and Thalia gave a guilty whine as she cast a glance towards Eren and Scarlett, who's eyes shot wide and they move a little closer to each other.

Thalia cast her gaze elsewhere as she whined a little _"unfortunately it is true. In our zeal to protect our young, we harm them by denying them time to properly bond with their Riders"_ she admitted with shame and a small growl, but then she looked back at them with a happy expression and a purr _"but fear not. As much as I may wish to trap you under my wings, I will not separate you from one another"_ she promised, much to the relief of the young pair, but then Roy felt an almost devious streak of emotion flash over their link as Thalia grew a thoughtful expression _"though, come to think of it, I could easily fit you both under there"_ she teased.

Roy and Thalia both had to fight not to laugh at the looks of horror the others gave her and he looked up at his Dragon with a smile. It had been too long since he'd seen this side of his Dragon come out.

Roy shook himself out of it though and refocused on the task at hand "anyway, back on track" he said, earning everyone's attention "because of how protective Dragons are, eggs that are to be bonded with Riders, are kept separate from their mothers while being presented before candidates and until the two have had ample time to bond properly" Roy explained and Armin blinked as the pieces fell into place in his mind "you were leaving her egg when it happened" he realized.

Roy nodded with a sad sigh "the traitors attacked right as we arrived" he said as he fought back the painful memories "we saved as many eggs as we could, but…" he trailed off and both Dragons laid their ears back with a combination growl and whimper.

Through the whole conversation, Mikasa's intense stare had barely changed "so you're saying we could bond with these Dragons like Eren?" she questioned and Roy and Thalia fixed her with hard stares "yes but there is no guaranty that they will hatch for ether of you" he warned but Mikasa didn't flinch "well we won't know until we try" she said, but before she could move, Thalia growled at her _"not so fast"_ she warned with a dangerous edge to her voice.

The kids looked up at her with surprise "but you're the ones who suggested this" Mikasa shot back and receive another growl in response _"this is not something to be taken so lightly. Eren was ignorant of what touching my hatchling's egg would entail, but you have no such excuse, and I will not allow the hatchlings within those eggs to be viewed merely as a means to an end, rather them seen as partners for life, as you seam so eager to believe"_ Thalia warned dangerously.

Roy quickly stepped between his Dragon and Mikasa, who had the decency to a least look a little take aback by Thalia's words "Thalia is correct. In agreeing to be presented before the eggs, you would be accepting the responsibility of becoming a Dragon Rider and being bonded for the rest of your, now eternal life, to another being" he explained and then grimaced a little "also, you would be marking yourselves as targets of Galbatorix, and make no mistake, he will track us here eventually, even if it takes years to do so" Roy warned.

The kids all stiffened and looked among themselves as the seriousness of the situation sunk in. Roy and Thalia both sat there patiently as the kids thought it over, though Thalia still fixed Mikasa with a mild glare.

Eventually, Armin spoke up "what would becoming Riders mean for us? he asked and Roy crosses his arms "well, the old Order would have probably demanded Eren swear loyalty to them, but as Thalia said, Eren did not know what bonding with Scarlett would mean, so I will not force the responsibilities of a Rider upon him, but if you wish to be bonded with Dragons, then it would be your duty to serve the people. To protect the innocent ether through conflict or with healing, and you would need to be trained in said professions" he explained.

Armin hummed as he rubbed his chin, pondering Roy's words. But then something occurred to him, something he had neglected to consider, being so rapped up in all that was going on and he fixed Roy with a stare that surprised the Rider "ok but before we give our answer, tell me, what do you plan on doing now?" he asked plainly.

Roy was a little taken aback by Armin's sudden change in attitude "I'm sorry, but what are you asking exactly?" he asked and Armin continued to stare at him "what are you planing to do now. You said your home's been wiped out and you have no ties to the Walls. So what do YOU plan on doing now?" he asked.

Roy blinked. It was a good question and one that he had given some thought to, but he and Thalia had been so focused on finding Scarlett that they hadn't discussed it since Roy made his vow at the lake.

The shadows hid Roy's face as he looked down in thought, but then he looked up with a cold stare "I've already sworn in the Ancient Language to return and take vengeance for the destruction of our home, but only after we are ready" he said and took a breath to steady his nerves "in the meantime, I plan on upholding my oath as a Dragon Rider, and help the people of the Walls eliminate the Titans" he said with determination and Thalia gave a small roar of agreement.

The kids were stunned. Roy and Thalia had no obligation to help them and yet Roy had promised that he would. But then again, he was very much like them. An orphan, who's home had been destroyed and he was determined to retake it.

In the end, they weren't that different from each other.

Eren grew a determined look of his own "well, count me in" he said and it was Roy and Thalia's turn to look at him in shock "I swore I'd put a stop to the Titans. To be free from this cage we call home. I'll rip the Titans apart with my bare hands if I have to, but with you I could probably be the most effective against them. So, you can count me in" Eren said with such determination and near bloodlust that Roy almost mistook him for a Dragon in human skin.

Roy gave Eren a hard stare "you're sure? You would both have to train and serve as members of the Order. Granted, with us possibly being the only remaining Riders, the rules wouldn't necessarily be the same" he said with a guilty smirk hidden behind his serious mask. He had never agreed with all of the Order's policies.

It was Armin who answered for them this time "we've already lost everything. All we have left is each other and we promised to stick together until the end and fight back against the Titans…so I'm willing to try" he said and Mikasa gave a determined nod in agreement, though she seamed a little more thoughtful of her decision this time. Thalia fixed them both with a stare and they both felt her probe at the edges of their minds. Not enough to read their thoughts but enough to feel their emotions.

After a moment, the feeling left their minds and the Dragon gave a snort _"they may be presented before the eggs"_ she relented and Roy gave a sigh of relief "good, because we need all the help we can get" he said but his face quickly hardened over again "but, I have one more question for you before presenting you to them" he said and fixed them with his hardest stare yet "would you be willing to fight your own kind to accomplish your goal?" he asked.

The kids all stiffened and looked at Roy with shock "w-why would we need to fight our own kind? The Titans are the enemy!" Eren asked but Armin's eyes widened and he had to swallow the lump in his throat as he realized something "why are you out here?" he muttered and everyone turned their attention to them "Armin?" Eren asked with confusion and Armin looked up at Roy with a nervous expression "why are you out here…in this tree specifically, instead of at Wall Rose, working with the Scouts?" he asked and the other kids blinked with surprise as they too began to wander the same thing.

Roy and Thalia both sighed_ "because we have already attempted to contact them"_ Thalia admitted, much to the kids surprise and Roy shook his head "yes, and we are all fortunate that we did not get the chance to make contact" he said with a bitter edge to his voice.

Eren narrowed his eyes a little. He did not like where this was going at all "and why is that?" he asked and Roy sighed "because it seams that betrayal is not exclusive to Alagaësia" he said and the kids watched the Rider with a look of dread as he took his seat again and let out a defeated sigh "we were but moments from contacting them when it happened" he began as he thought back on the events of that day.

[Ten Days Ago. Trost District]

Roy took a deep breath as he approached the military's headquarters. He had been tempted to simply ride in on Thalia and get right to the point, but given what the people of the Walls had to fight on a regular basis and their general paranoia since the fall of Wall Maria, he decided to go with a more subtle method. It didn't help that he still barely understand any of their language ether, so he figured this was the safest method.

However, Wyvern was still carefully hidden under the raincoat he was wearing, specifically to conceal it and Thalia was flying high above in the cover of the sun, ready to swoop in if things went bad.

Roy steeled himself as he approached the building and double checked his wards to make sure they would hold up to the those odd but impressive weapons he'd seen them using, and upon finding everything satisfactory, took a deep breath _ok, let's do this _he thought as he picked up the pace.

Roy was about to enter but froze as he head something explode and, if not for his enhanced hearing, would have missed the sound of someone cursing and scurrying away quickly _what in the world_ he thought as he fallowed the sound and quickly hid in the shadows to avoid a group of soldiers wearing the jackets with the roses on them, as they too, moved to investigate.

Roy moved quickly and quietly and found what appeared to be a new cannon, waiting to be installed on the wall, only it was badly damaged. The Rider arched an eyebrow as the solders investigated _damn it. So much for making a friendly introduction today. They'll be suspicions now_ he thought and he scanned the area for whoever it was he heard but saw nothing. So, failing in his visual search, Roy extended his mind out and his eyes narrowed as he found someone hiding behind some crates and decided to investigate further. Roy carefully probed the man's mind and broke through with minimal effort and what he found surprised him. The man was with the Military Police and he had sabotaged the gun.

Roy was confused beyond all reason _what the hell!_ he fumed, still having a sore spot concerning betrayal. Thalia took notice of her Rider's distress _"what's wrong?"_ she asked from up in the sky _"someone high ranking in the military just sabotaged one of those weapons they've been mounting on the wall"_ he explained and felt shock and rage, flare off Thalia _"what!? For what purpose!?"_ she demanded and Roy focused on the traitor again and probed his memories.

Roy might not have understood the language, but he could still tell what emotions the man had been feeling and see his memories, and he was stunned even more to find that the order to sabotage the cannon had apparently come from higher up the chain of command, from within the very military he was sabotaging. Roy frantically searched the man's memories, no longer caring if he gave the traitor a headache, seeing as these people had no knowledge of magic, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Countless memories of receiving orders from high up in the government and this man carrying them out. Murdering a family that tried to build a machine to fly. Killing a man who tried to dig under the wall. Torturing people who knew too much. And as Roy scanned the memories, he turned his gaze up to the wall as the horrible truth, dawned on him_ they don't want anyone to leave_ he realized with horror. The horror quickly turned to rage though as he turned his gaze to the traitor "Verkr" he whispered with venom dripping from his voice and the man screamed before doubling over in pain.

It may have been spiteful of him, but Roy had, had enough of betrayal and he would not stand any more of it. He may not have been able to apprehend the traitor but he could make him pay for it and make sure he got caught, and as the solders went to investigate the scrams, Roy quickly made his retreat _"Thalia, we're leaving. Get ready to pick me up"_ he thought to his Dragon and received no argument aside from an enraged growl, as she had been watching everything through him, and they both left the city to think over what Roy had just seen and make a new plan.

[Present]

The kids just stared at Roy with a combination of shock, disbelief and rage, at the story he had just told. Roy had even sworn in the Ancient Language that he was telling the truth, about halfway through his story when they didn't want to believe it.

While Armin and Mikasa both still looked shocked by the revelation, two distinct growls, rang out from Eren and Scarlett and the boy drove his fist into the floor "DAMN IT! Those bastards what us living in fear of those monster! This place really is a cage!" Eren fumed as he shook with rage and Scarlett roared while raking her claws across the floor.

Roy and Thalia gave them time to process everything, knowing full well what betrayal felt like, though Roy had to admit that this form of betrayal was far worse then what they had gone through.

Eventually, after watching all the emotions play across their faces, Roy took a deep breath "so, I ask again. Are you still willing to become Dragon Riders, knowing what you do now?" he asked and there was silence for a moment but then Eren looked over at his friends with a furious glare that could put even a Dragon to shame as Scarlett curled around him with a growl.

Roy watched as the others looked up and met his glare. Mikasa with a cold fury that contrasted Eren's blazing one and Armin with a distraught expression at first but it quickly turned to anger as well. Roy wasn't sure if Eren was communicating mentally with them or not, and he saw no reason to check if they were. If words were passing between them, then they weren't for him or Thalia.

After a moment, the kids nodded to each other and then turned their furious stairs to Roy, though he could tell their anger wasn't directed at him "yes, I'll do whatever it take make them pay and finally be free from this cage" Eren state's with determination and the others nodded with just as much while his Dragon gave a roar in agreement.

Roy and Thalia shared a look and very brief, privet conversation before turning their attention back to the kids "then fallow us" he said and they fallowed closely behind. Scarlett was still a little weak though and Eren had to help her stand and move a little bit, but they fallowed just the same.

Roy led them to his and Thalia's "room" and up to the wall behind the Dragon's nest. The Rider then cleared his throat "firstly, I wish to apologize for what you are about to hear" he apologized and the kids looked at him with confusion for a moment, but before they could ask why, Roy began to sing in the Ancient Language…and it was the most atrocious singing they had ever heard. It was so bad that Scarlett winced and even banged her head against the ground a little as if that would banish the foul tune from her memory, before covering her ears with her paws.

They all winced but their suffering soon gave way to fascination as the tree groaned in response and they watched as the wood of the tree moved and shifted, revealing an alcove, hidden in the wall, and once the singing stoped, the kids looked in awe at seven Dragon eggs, each one sitting on an old pillow, scavenged from abandoned buildings.

The egg on the far left was dark blue with baby blue veins. The second one was forest green, with light green veins. The third was dark brown with maroon veins. The forth was such a shade of hot pink with white veins that it was ridicules. The fifth was a light grey with black veins. The sixth egg was midnight black with grey veins. And the final egg was bright yellow with white veins.

The kids stared in awe at the eggs. It had been so long since they had seen Scarlett's egg and they hadn't been quite mentally sound at the time, so this was the first time they'd had to really look at them and take in their beauty.

Scarlett hummed loudly and happily at the eggs as she looked them all over with a critical eye. Roy smiled at the display as he walked up and placed a hand on the green egg and felt the Dragon within, relax considerably at the presence of a Rider and the sound of Scarlett's humming "alright" he said, turning to face the kids "now each of you needs to place a hand on each of the eggs" he instructed and Armin and Mikasa looked at him for a moment, and then the eggs "but, what if more then one hatches" he asked with concern and noticing that Roy had just touched one. Roy simply shook his head though as he observed Armin's curious and worried expression "it is possible to have a Rider bonded to more then one Dragon but it's extremely rare and I've never heard of it exceeding two. Also, Riders are exempt from the rule, as we are already bonded. The Dragons can tell and our touch usually relaxes them" Roy explained and Armin took a moment to absorb the information before taking a breath and he and Mikasa both moved forwards.

Armin held his hand over the blue egg but hesitated for a moment "does it matter how long" he asked and Roy shook his head "you only need touch each egg for a moment, the rest is up to the Dragons" he explained and Armin nodded before looking back to the egg and placing his hand on it.

Despite his previous experience with Scarlett's egg, Armin half expected to feel something when he touched the egg, but all he felt was the smooth surface and nothing else to indicate that it was even alive. Regardless, Armin continued down the line, with Mikasa moving in step behind him until each one had touched each egg.

Once it was done, they both stepped back and looked at the eggs for a moment before turning their gaze to Roy "so what now?" Mikasa asked and Thalia gave a huff _"now we wait. You each have two weeks for the eggs to hatch, if none of them do within that time, then none of them will hatch for you"_ Thalia explained and Armin put a finger to his chin as he contemplated their time limit and Mikasa just looked back at the eggs.

Roy gave a thoughtful hum as he looked over at Scarlett "hay, Scarlett is about two weeks old right?" he asked and Eren nodded "yah, that sounds about right" he answered and Thalia perked up a little_ "then by the end of these two weeks, she should also be old enough to fly with you"_ she revealed while marveling at how everything seemed to line up.

Eren blinked with surprise before a smile spread over his face and Scarlett looked like she would have pranced around the room, had she been in any condition for it.

Roy on the other hand, sighed with exhaustion "well, it's getting late and I think we all could use some rest" he said and the kids all blinked as they realized just how exhausted they were and they swayed on their feet a little. Eren looked up at Roy with a hard stare though "there aren't any more world shattering revelations are there?" he asked and Roy responded with a sigh "yes though not in the same nature as what you just learned and I believe it can wait till the morning" he said and the kids were filled with a little dread at hearing that there was more, but they couldn't deny that they were exhausted and they were still shell shocked by what they had already leaned, and any more may push them over the edge.

Armin sighed as he ran a hand down his tired face "yah, as much as I hate to admit it, I think we need time to process all of this before getting any deeper, and sleep sounds amazing right about now" he said and the others groaned in agreement.

* * *

In a matter of moments, Roy had fished some sleeping bags out of the pile of junk that was temporarily serving as storage until he could finish the rooms in the tree and organize it, and he set them out for the kids, before settling down himself with Thalia and his Dragon laid her head next to him and looked at him with one eye_ "this has certainly been an interesting day"_ she said and Roy grunted in agreement _"aye, that it has, but not necessarily a bad one"_ Roy replied as he finally felt like he could actually get a decent night's sleep, now that they had found Scarlett and a new Rider to help them.

Still though, Roy wasn't ignorant to the suffering of his new guests and cast them a glance_ I wander how they're faring_ he thought before falling into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in moths.

* * *

Eren lay under his Dragon's wind, staring up into space, mind still buzzing too much to sleep. The world seemed so foreign to him now. It was like he had been living with blinders stitched to his face, and in one night, this stranger had come alone and violently and painfully ripped them off. Now he didn't know what to think _all this time, I thought the Titan's were the only enemy…?_ Eren thought, not sure what to think of the world anymore.

Scarlett curled her tail around Eren and used it and her wing to pull him closer with a growl/whimper as her mind touched his _"fight…revenge…free"_ she spoke and even though it was just three broken words, it was enough. The emotion she put into it and the simplicity of it, helped ground Eren again. He still understood that the world was drastically different from what he originally thought it was, but he could work with what Scarlett had said. It was simple and familiar, and still applied _"thanks Scarlett"_ he responded and sighed as he finally relaxed enough to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mikasa was staring at Eren with a hollow expression and looking a little pale I_ almost lost him again…and now, if one of those eggs don't hatch…_ she trailed off with dread at the dark fate her feature possibly held. Her gaze then shifted to Scarlett. She didn't hate the Dragon like she used to and she still felt some connection to her, but she was also beginning to feel the beginnings of jealousy.

In a way, the Dragon was taking Eren away from her, and he would live forever while she might have to grow old and leave him. And the way Eren had acted back when Scarlett collapsed had made it painfully clear how Eren valued her in relation to Mikasa and Armin.

Mikasa gripped her scarf as she fought with her inner turmoil and eventually fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Armin was similarly in turmoil but not over Eren.

Armin was thinking of his parents and grandfather _mom…dad…grandpa…if they weren't trying to keep us in here…if they weren't sabotaging the Scouts.…would you still be alive…_ he trailed off in thought as he pondered everything with a numb expression _could the Scouts have whipped out the Titan's if government weren't holding us back…could we have seen the sea together…_at that last thought, a tear slid down Armin's face and it hardened as soon as the tear hit the ground and a little of the old, naïve child in Armin died as everything he'd been through, flashed through his mind. Everything he'd lost and everything he and his friends had suffered, and he made a silent vow to get revenge for what the King of the Walls had done to them.

* * *

**A/N** \- Can anyone guess who gets the pink egg.

"Verkr" - "pain"

"Brisingr" - "Fire"

Brisingr wasn't actually used in this chapter but I forgot to put the translation in the last one and I'm lazy.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - FINALLY!** I have finally finished this chapter! I am so sorry for the wait but these last few chapters have really been giving me trouble and between that, a miner case of wrighters block and me buying my first Persona game, it's just been slow going. But I can happily say that this is the last of the major exposition and we can start getting into the good stuff.

Also, if you want to, when you see the prompt, then play (Attack on Titan OST "Attack on Titan")

Just to clarify, that was not a typo, the name of the song is Attack on Titan. It's the one that plays when the wall was first beached in episode one.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Happy reading everyone.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Eren groaned a little as his eyes cracked open and he sat up and gave a yawn before setting his hands down on his scaly blanket "huh, weird. I could have sworn I was having a nightmare for a little while there" he muttered as hazy memories of being trapped in a Titan's stomach, came back to him and he gripped the hard, bone like edges of his blanket.

Eren's eyes widened a little as his blanket shifted and he looked down to see it was a wing, then looked over to see his Dragon waking up and looking at him_ "morning" _she said and Eren sat there for a moment as the events of the previous day, came back to him and he looked around at the interior of the tree "oh…so it wasn't a dream" he said as a hollow expression crept it's way onto his face.

Eren snapped out of it though as a neck was coiled around him and he looked down to see Scarlett looking up at him with large, pleading eyes "thanks Scarlett" he said and the Dragon hummed happily before uncoiling her neck "I guess I have you to thank again for me not having any nightmares" he said and the Dragon gave him a concerned look _"protect"_ she said and Eren could feel that it was directed at him "thanks but…I'm going to have to face this on my own eventually. I can't rely on you forever" he said and this time the Dragon growled slightly _"always together"_ she said sharply and Eren frowned as he was reminded of his new immortality "that may be so and I do appreciate your help. But nothing's going to get better until I can actually face this" he stated.

The Dragon hummed sadly and with irritation as she averted her gaze "hay" Eren said as he grabbed her by the jaws and made her look at him "I'm not going to shut you out or anything like that. I'm probably gonna need all the help I can get, but we need to be equals, not you protecting me or me you. I mean, we're suppose to partners right?" he said and the Dragon relaxed before nuzzling him_ "partner"_ she agreed and Eren smiled as he hugged her snout.

A fake cough, got their attention and they looked up to see Mikasa, standing a little ways away with Armin sitting up in his sleeping bag. Both of them were staring at him, Mikasa with her usual mask while Armin had the decency to look sheepish.

Eren blinked before his cheeks reddened a little "you guys heard all of that didn't you?" He asked, though it was more of a statement then a question. Armin scratched his neck nervously "only what you were saying. We still can't hear Scarlett" he admitted and Eren facepalmed in embarrassment _"remind me to talk like this when having personally conversations in the future"_ Eren thought to his Dragon and received a huff in affirmative.

Meanwhile, Mikasa's mind was swimming with frustration _he kicks and screams when we try to help but then goes and says that to her_ she thought as she pondered what Eren had said. She may have only heard one side of the conversation but it still seamed so out of character for Eren and it only added to her turmoil.

There was a loud thumping and they turned to see Thalia and Roy, exiting their room and walking over to them "morning, is everyone awake" he asked cheerfully. He looked and sounded completely refreshed, as opposed to the previous night.

Armin, Eren and Scarlett, stood up and stretched "morning, and yah, we're all up" Armin answered and Roy smiled "good, in that case take these and please get cleaned up" he said, almost pleading at the end as he held out some baggy but clean and undamaged clothes.

Eren blinked with surprise and confusion as they took the clothes and he looked up at the Rider "huh?" he questioned and Roy deadpanned "I realize you kids have been struggling to survive up to this point and I mean no offense but…you all are filthy" he stated bluntly and pinching his nose a little.

The kids suddenly became acutely aware of all the grime and dried blood they were covered in and had been ignoring all this time and Eren's clothes had been reduced to rags by the Titan that ate him. The kids all cringed and began scratching at their hair and tugging at their clothes as Roy and Thalia both looked upon them with sympathy "yah, I sung some wash rooms out of the tree while you all were still sleeping. They are over there and I already had the baths drawn for you" he said and the kids all stared at him with disbelief for a moment.

Of all the crazy and insane things that had happened so fare, the idea of actually being clean seamed the most crazy to them. They had become so accustomed to just trying to survive day to day that they hadn't even considered getting clean, but now here they were and Roy could have sworn he saw a tear trying to escape Armin's eye for a moment before they all shot forth and converged on the washrooms.

Roy and Thalia both laughed historically as the kids ran passed them, not even attempting to restrain themselves "oh it feels good to laugh again, and I figured that would get them" Roy admitted and Thalia hummed in agreement _"they deserve to relax after everything they've been through"_ she agreed.

The two then turned to face Scarlett who looked a little out of place and even a little nervous under their gaze, especially when Roy slapped his hands together and rubbed them "alright, your turn" he said and Scarlett yelped slightly and began slowly backing away with a fearful look in her eyes. Roy simply smirked however "come now. A magnificent Dragon such as yourself, deserves better then to be left in such a diminished state" he said with such a fake voice and the young Dragon perked up a little before looking herself over. She normally attempted to keep herself clean, she hated when her scales didn't shine, but even with her diligent licking and with everything that had happened the previous night, she had indeed accumulated a good deal of grime and dirt.

Roy continued to look her over with a fake, admiring eye "yes, such a beautiful Dragon deserves better then this" he said and Scarlett seamed to hold her head a little higher as she soaked up the praise and finally laid down in resignation so they could clean her.

Roy chuckled as he grabbed a bucket of water and a rag _Dragons…Praise gets them every time_ he thought and Thalia snorted smoke in his direction "I heard that" she warned playfully as she sat down by her hatchling and started humming to her and licking some of the grime off.

* * *

Eren sighed with content.

He couldn't remember feeling so relaxed as he dried himself off and put on the clothes Roy had provided them. It was very similar to what Eren usually wore, only it was a little baggy, seeing as Roy was a few sizes larger then them. Still, Eren was very happy to be clean and wearing clean clothes that weren't scavenged and patched together.

Eren looked himself over and after a cursory inspection, opened the door, leading to the original washroom, which Roy had expanded upon, and found that Armin had already finished and chopped his hair back to it's usual length and Mikasa was about halfway through cutting her own hair back, though she was going a little further "you're cutting your hair short?" Eren asked and Mikasa looked over at him for a moment before turning back to the mirror "it kept getting in the way a lot while we were on the run so I decided to keep it short. At least for the time being" she answered.

Eren nodded in understanding as he walked un to the mirror and grabbed a pair of scissors to trim back his own hair, but as soon as he looked up in the mirror, he gasped slightly "what the?" he questioned while staring at his reflection and grabbing at his now metallic, crimson red hair with it's silver streak "what the heck happened?" he thought aloud as he examined it and the others looked to him with confusion for a moment before Armin realized what he was talking about "oh right, sorry I guess with everything that's been happening, none of us told you" he apologizes sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

Eren looked over at them in confusion "wait, when did this happen?" he asked and Armin and Mikasa looked at each other with concern for a moment before answering "it happened when Scarlett healed you. Your hair just changed colors for whatever reason" Mikasa explained and Eren blinked with surprise before turning back to his reflection. He closely examined the changes and then rolled up his sleeve to reveal the line of metallic red, where his arm had been severed "I guess I still have a reminder" he muttered while tracing the scar and it's scaly pattern.

Armin and Mikasa watched Eren with concern as he grew a far away look "Eren…I'm sorry about what happened" Armin said and Eren snapped out of it "don't worry, I'm fine" he half lied as he looked himself over "you know…I actually kind of like it" he said while brushing some of the hair aside and smiling a little before proceeding to trim it and the others let out sighs of relief but still eyed him with a little worry as they finished cleaning up.

* * *

Everyone exited the washroom with happy sighs "this feels so much better" Eren commented as they walked out then grunted as he was tackled by Scarlett and she nuzzled him "well someone's feeling better" Eren grunted out and the Dragon hummed before getting off Eren and prancing around "what's got you so hap…py…" Eren trailed off as he looked his Dragon over and he and his friends' jaws dropped slightly at how brightly the Dragon's scales shined "wow" the kids droned and Scarlett seamed to revel in the praise "_clean_" she said happily and Eren blinked "yah, defiantly" he agreed. They had never seen the Dragon this clean before.

The kids were brought out of there trance by some laughing above them and they looked up to see Roy on the balcony above, with books stacked up in his arms as he looked over the edge "Dragons are beautiful creatures, and Brightscales especially so" he commented before heading for the stairs "Brightscales?" Armin asked with curiosity and Thalia walked up to them _"it is the type of Dragon she is. Our last names are determined by the features we bare"_ she explained and the kids looked between her and Scarlett as they noticed just how much shinier Scarlett was and how much longer and sharper Thalia's claws were "so, Thalia Razor Claws…" Armin started as he processed the information and the Dragon held up her paw and flexed her fingers, showing off said claws "…and Scarlett Brightscales" he finished and Scarlett struck a pose, holding her head up tall.

Eren ran a hand over the scales on Scarlett's back "so, does being a Brightscales do anything aside from looking nice, uh no offense" he quickly added when his Dragon huffed at him. Roy hummed as he walked down the stairs with the stack of books "well, Brightscales are known to be more vain then others, and Dragons are usually vain as a general rule" he said and Thalia gave her own angry puff of smoke "hay, you know it's true" he shot back in English before turning back to the kids as he thought on Eren's question more "eh, aside from that I don't think there is really any actual advantages, though I suppose it may make their scales a little stronger, but I can not say for certain" he explained.

The Rider shook his head clear though "anyway, come on. Breakfast is over on the table" he said and the kids immediately locked in on the table as the smell of cooked food filled their noses and they eagerly fallowed.

Once that were seated at the table, they took in the glorious sight before them and their moths started to water a little as they eyed all the food, all prepared and fresh. They were briefly destructed thought, by Thalia jumping out of the tree and flying off "where's she going?" Mikasa asked as Roy sat down the books and looked through them "she is going out to catch something for herself and Scarlett" he answered as he set the books in a line before leaving them a sitting down at the table himself and serving out the food.

The kids quickly dug into the food _I missed this so much_ Eren thought as they savored the food. They paused for a moment though as Thalia returned and they gawked a little as she had a whole dear in her mouth. The Dragon then set the dear on the ground and hummed to her hatchling a little and Eren could tell that she was just as excited for her meal as they had been and Eren smiled a little as Scarlett licked her lips with anticipation before digging in.

Roy chuckled a little at the sight before turning his attention to the kids "so, I presume you all have more questions?" he asked and it was like he flipped a switch as they turned on him and questions seamed to spew out of Eren and Armin in rapid fire, while Mikasa, though still curious, was content to wait.

Roy blinked and held up his hands "whoa, whoa, one at a time!" he pleaded and Thalia gave a roar that silenced them _"thanks Thalia"_ Roy silently thanked his Dragon while the kids rubbed their ears "now please, calmly" he said and the kids thought over their question for a moment "what happened to me?" Eren finally asked while running a hand through his hair.

Roy hummed in thought as he absentmindedly rubbed his own scar "what happed was Wild Magic" he began and the kids noticed his mood grow slightly depressed but he sighed and continued "as I understand it, your people don't understand or even know of magic so I guess we should start with the basics. But fortunately, I was already planing on discussing this" he said while reaching over for one of the books he set on the nearby table. He then leafed through the book a little before handing it to Armin, who eagerly took it.

Armin raises an eyebrow as he read over the contents of the book. It appeared to be handwritten and judging by how rough the letters were and the copious amounts of spelling and grammatical errors, combined with several notes written in english, off to the side, it was obvious Roy had written and translated it. There were also several others words though, that Armin didn't recognize but they didn't look like english and there were also a few sketches as well.

Roy took a big sip from his cup of water before continuing "with few exceptions, the only way for most races to cast magic is to use the Ancient Language, which I believe we explained a little before" he began and Armin looked up from the book with a raised eyebrow "is that actually the name of the language or is there more to it?" he asked and Roy grimaced a little "no, the Ancient Language does have a name, but no one knows what it is. In fact much of the language is lost to us, but in honesty, I believe we are better for not knowing it's true name" Roy explained and the kids looked at him with curiosity "why's that" Eren asked through a moth full of scrambled eggs.

Roy shook his head with a sigh "as we said before, every word in the Ancient Language embodies the very existence of a thing. So just what do you believe would happen if you knew the true name of that language, which it's self is IN said language?" he said and the kids paused for a second as they let that sink in "exactly, that is far too much power for one person to wield" Roy said before getting back on track "anyway, as I said, there are a few exceptions. The biggest and most powerful being Dragons" he said and the kids glanced over at Thalia and Scarlett "Dragons are highly attuned to nature and magic, it's part of there very being. Wherever they are, nature grows in abundance and their magic is far more powerful then anything even the Elves are capable of. However, they also can't fully control their magic and usually can't even cast it without the proper inspiration and even then no one can fully predict what might happen" Roy continued.

Eren suddenly looked back at Roy "wait, so you're saying this was just random?" he asked while gripping at his hair. Roy scratched his chin a little in thought "for the most part yes, though Scarlett's little display of Wild Magic still would have helped save your life in some way, seeing as that was what she was feeling at the time. Still though, you have no idea how lucky you are that Scarlett felt the proper inspiration at the time, otherwise I might not have been able to heal you to the same extent" Roy explained.

The kids all paused for a moment and had to put a little more effort into swallowing the food, currently in their mouths, as they processed that.

Roy cleared his throat to snap them all out of it "anyway, I will be teaching you about magic in greater detail later. For now, do you have any other questions?" he asked and the kids thought it over again before Armin swallowed his food and looked to the Rider "you said last night that you don't know where the Walls are in relation to your home, but why is that?" He asked.

Roy sighed as he looked over at his Dragon, who gave an annoyed huff _"alright but be quick about it"_ she said and the Rider rose from his chair and stepped out into the open while the kids watched with anticipation. Roy then held his hand up and his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. The Riders hand began to glow white and a similarly colored pinprick of light, formed in front of him, but no words wore spoken. The next thing they knew, the small point of light expanded like a balloon and swirled with colors like a soup bobble until it burst open into a swirling vortex of color.

The kids stared in awe at the vortex but had to brace themselves a little as they felt the wind being sucked into it. But then the vortex suddenly closed and Roy bent over to lean on his knees and Thalia shook her head a little at the energy drain. Roy then looked to the kids "that…is how we got here" he said before standing back up strait and walking back over to the table and sitting back down.

Roy shook the dizziness from his head while the kids just watched him expectantly and Roy sighed "it's a good thing you asked about wild magic first, because that's where that…tear, in reality comes from" he began and Eren arched an eyebrow "but, I thought only Dragons could use it and not at will?" he asked and Roy sighed as, yet again, more painful memories came back to haunt him "when Vroengard fell…" he began and the kids grimaced a little as they realized where this was going "…when it was discovered that we were betrayed by our own, the Dragons of the Order were disgusted that their own kind had been involved, and so, many of them all cast the same spell with Wild Magic, simultaneously" he explained and the kids eyes widened a little "wait, but if Wild Magic is so rare already…" Armin trailed off in though and Roy nodded "what happed was an event so rare that it hadn't happened in the memory of any currently living Human. And as such, the spell was incredibly powerful" he confirmed.

Eren scratch his chin a little in thought "but, what did the spell actually do?" he asked and Thalia gave a low growl from where she sat _"it un-named the betrayers"_ she answered and the kids were once again confused "un-named them?" Mikasa asked and Roy nodded "aye, the spell erased the names of all the Dragons that betrayed us form all living and written memory" he clarified.

Armin hummed as he thought it over "I assume there's more to it then simply forgetting their names" he said and Thalia snorted in acknowledgement _"names have power and as far as we know they cannot take new names, meaning they remain nameless for eternity, and many of them went insane as a result"_ she explained and the kids had to take a moment to ponder the gravity of that.

Roy then leaned forward on the table a little "now, this is where our ability to open those tears, comes in" he said, getting their attention again "some of the Dragons knew we had some eggs with us and were planning to escape with them, so in addition to casting the un-naming spell, they also cast a spell on us, giving us the power to open these tears" he explained but then gave an exasperated sigh "unfortunately, we haven't the faintest clue as to how it functions aside from that it allows instantaneous transport from one location to another and nether can we control it's destination" he admitted with frustration.

The kids looked at Roy with surprise "wait, so you didn't even know where you'd end up!?" Eren asked and Roy nodded "aye, and we used it seven times before it finally spat us out over Shiganshina, and each time it sent us to random places all over Alagaësia and there seams to be no limit on distance, be it merely a few inches or on the other side of the continent" he explained with more then a little irritation at the randomness of the ability.

Armin hummed in thought "so, you have absolutely no control over it?" he asked _"the only differing factor we've notice in that the more dire the situation, the further it takes us and we were certainly in very dire straits the last time we used it_" Thalia explained and Roy nodded in agreement "indeed and as much as it's randomness may irritate me, we would have perished several times over by now if not for it" Roy admitted.

The kids took a moment to digest the new information. It was certainly and interesting story "ok, but I'm curious, why stay in a tree" Mikasa asked as she decided to move on with the questions and Armin nodded in agreement "yes, I realize it's pretty secure up here, but why not set up in one of the abandoned Outlier Districts of Wall Maria. The gates are probably still functioning so you could easily close them and then clear out whatever Titans might be wandering around inside and then have the entire district to yourself" Armin inquired.

Roy and Thalia both blinked with surprise at Armin's analytical abilities "actually, we did consider the Outlier Districts but all of them are to far removed from the Scout Regiments path to Shiganshina, meaning we would not have been able to provide support" the Rider explained, much to the kids surprise "wait, you've been helping the scouts!?" Eren asked with surprise and Roy nodded "indeed. While we may not be able to openly help them, we have been covertly providing support by using magic to help the crops grow in spite of the famine and healing the injured, in addition to simply exterminating any Titans bound for them while we were searching for Scarlett's egg" Roy explained and saw a small smile cross Eren's face.

Armin frowned though as he thought it all over "but, then why not just seal the breach? I mean you clearly have the ability to do so" he asked and Eren's eyes widened as he looked to Armin, then Roy, who was now looking away with an expression of shame "because…we have already attempted to seal to breach" Roy answered.

The kids were beginning to feel nervous again "and…it worked…right?" Eren asked hesitantly, to which Roy sighed before looking to the kids with sad eyes "almost, but…there were unforeseen consequences" he began as he recounted the story.

* * *

[Ten Days Ago. Shiganshina]

Roy was kneeling under the busted gate of Shiganshina as he dug a small hole and once it was deep enough, he reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a seed and looked at it for a moment before giving a sigh "I really wish I didn't have to sing to make things grow" he muttered before dropping the seed into the hole and filling it in while his Dragon stood behind him _"unfortunately I must agree with you on that. For all your skills…you are completely tone deaf"_ the Dragon agreed with a teasing tone to her voice.

Roy simply rolled his eyes as he finished packing in the hole and stood back up "alright, let's seal this thing" he said as they both backed away and Roy grimaced as he began to sing in the Ancient Language.

Roy did his best not to make his Dragon's ears bleed with his "singing" but he could feel that she was doing her best not wince at the horrible notes. Regardless though, the Raider and Dragon both watched with anticipation as a bit of the dirt began to mound up like an ant-hill. Then a small sapling broke through and grew at an astonishing rate.

Roy managed to get the tree to about half Thalia's size, before he had to stop and kneel over as he panted in exhaustion and Thalia too, looked a little tied from lending him her strength "well…it's progress" Roy got out between pants and his Dragon huffed with annoyance _"why can we not simply place a ward over the gate, as is?"_ she complained and Roy gave a frustrated sigh of his own "because I don't know how to make a ward like that. I need a solid surface or to at least minimize the gap before I can place a ward" he explained.

Thalia gave an exasperated huff as she looked to the new tree_ "well, we at least need to make it big enough so those creatures cannot step on it, before we may rest"_ she advised and Roy sighed "I know…well let's get to-aaaggghhh!" Roy suddenly dubbed over in pain and Thalia yelped and was immediately on top of him_ "what's wrong!?"_ she asked with concern but then she felt dread and disbelief coming off him "impossible" he grunted before looking up at his Dragon and she too was filled with dread upon seeing his eye bloodshot and his scar glowing a sickly red.

**_"_Brisingr_!"_ **An impossibly deep voice, called out and the Dragon barely managed to garb her Rider and leap out of the way as an enormous fireball, as big as the Dragon, impacted and incinerated the area where they once stood and the tree along with it.

Thalia immediately took wing and tried to fly away while her Rider yelled in pain _"hold on Roy! I'll-"_** "RRRAAAHHH!"** Thalia's thoughts were cut off by a lance of black lightning, hitting her in the side and she roared as she fell back to the ground.

The Dragon growled as she stood back up, still with her incapacitated Rider in her paw _"how…how is there one here!?"_ she yelled at no one in particular as she again, had to dodge another fireball.

Thalia weaved through the buildings in an attempt to avoids more attacks but had to stop as her mind was viciously attacked and she found herself unable to move as she battled to retain control of her body "rraaahhh!" Roy screamed as he pushed passed his pain and lashed out at the mind attacking his Dragon, forcing it to retreat and allowing the Dragon to move again.

Thalia shook her head clear before dashing off again _"Roy! Are you ok!?"_ she asked with worry and the Rider yelled with pain some more before answering "something's wrong! It's worse then before!" he replied and the Dragon whimpered as she sped towards the gate.

Another fireball nearly hit them and Thalia roared with rage _"curses, where is it!?"_ Thalia fumed as she sped through the city until the gate came into view.

Escape was in sight. All she had to do was get through it and the wall would give her enough cover to get airborne. But that's when the Dragon heard the rapid thumps of what could have only been a Titan's footsteps, but these were too rapid for what she had grown accustomed to.

Thalia looked back over her shoulder and only saw a shimmer before pain exploded in her right side and she was violently thrown to the side with several lacerations, cutting deep into her scales.

(Music)

The Dragon moaned as she weakly raised her head and looked for what had attacked her and her eyes shot wide _"stars and skies!"_ she exclaimed and Roy weakly looked up as well and his heart dropped into his stomach as he saw a massive, shimmering silhouette, looming over them, and he watched with horror as the illusion faded to reveal the form of a fifteen meter Titan.

This was unlike any Titan they had seen before though. It was almost skeletal, with black bones protruding from it's spine and joints like spikes and it was incredibly pale. It's hair was long and dark and it's eyes…it's eyes were blood red and sunken within black sockets and they showed a dangerous level of intelligence.

Then to their growing horror, the Titan started chuckling, and it slowly built until it threw it's head back in full blown evil laughter.

The Titan then fixed them with it's gaze as it smiled at them _**"**_**I suppose we should thank you for setting us free" **the Titan spoke and the Rider went ashen white as he and his Dragon simply lay there in shock. Not only had the Titan spoken but it had done so in the Ancient Language.

Eventually, Roy managed to formulate words as he fought through the pain and shock "h-how…how is this possible?…" he asked and the Titan seamed amused by what it was seeing **"so you have forgotten us already, even though you kept our "gift" which you seam to be enjoying so much right now."** it spoke and it grew a thoughtful expression **"perhaps this will jog your memory?**" It said and the Rider winced as several minds touched his and a cacophony of voices filled his head as his mental defenses cracked under the assault and the agony he was experiencing. And then his eyes suddenly shot wide as dozens of memories of Roy killing the Shade that chased him and Thalia here, flashed though his mind.

Roy then gasped as the attack on his mind ended and he finally understood "no…it can't be!" He yelled before gripping his eye in pain again as the Titan laughed **"yes! Now you understand! We are the spirits you released when you killed that pathetic Shade!"** the Titan Shade exclaimed with glee before looking back to them **"and we are so thankful to you. Because now we have a new host. One that can withstand tremendous power and magic that would tear any Human or Elf apart, and best of all…mindless. We can completely control this form!"** the Titan Shade exclaimed with glee as the spirits within cast several spell, reshaping the Titan's hand into a claw with deadly, serrated bone spikes on each finger **"and to show our gratitude, we offer you a quick death, but do not worry, we will take good care of the eggs you carry"** it said with an evil chuckle before bringing the claw down on them.

Thalia immediately dodged, having taken the opportunity to recover some of her strength, but she still roared in pain as the claw grazed her side but she powered through as she spewed fire at the Titan Shade and raked her claws through it's eyes, distracting it, even if it's wards kept it from taking much damage. The Dragon then quickly ran for the gate as Roy put all his effort into keeping their minds free.

The Titan Shade eventually shook off it's daze as it's eyes quickly regenerated and turned on them, sending spell after spell at them but Thalia managed to dodge the physical ones while her wards struggled to block the rest and she miraculously managed to make it through the gate and took to the air.

The Titan Shade ran through the gate and looked up to them as they flew off as fast as possible. The monster only grinned though **"run all you wish! We will be waiting for you here!"** It called out after them as they fled, before turning and walking back into the city.

* * *

[Present]

The kids all stared at Roy with wide eyes and mouths agape with horror and Armin was even shaking ever so slightly as Roy looked at the floor with a grim expression.

Eren was the first to get his voice back "so…let me get this strait…there's a Titan out there that can talk and do all the crazy stuff you can?" he said, trying to rap his shocked mind around the situation. Roy only grimaced though "no…that "thing" can do far more then I'll ever be able to do" he admitted with shame and anger.

Armin audibly gulped as he processed the information "so, Shades are people that have taken spirits into themselves and ether been possessed by them or dominated them, giving them incredible power, and they can only be killed by stabbing them through the heart" he thought aloud as he thought back to what Roy had told them during his story "and when you killed the Shade that chased you here, it released the spirits, but why did they latch onto the Titan?" He asked.

Thalia snorted a little from where she sat _"usually when a Shade is slain, the one responsible will have strong mental defenses, as they wouldn't be able to slay it otherwise. This would prevent the spirits from possessing them, leaving only whatever unprotected civilians or animals that may be nearby for them to possess and obviously, a person would receive treatment for such a possession before they could become a Shade, leaving animals as the only host that would go unnoticed, which means that even if they were to possess them, only one or two at most could inhabit the new host and they would be harmless"_ the Dragon explained but then let out a growl _"unfortunately, we were unaware of the Titan's existence at the time and only recovered enough to explore, days after arriving"_ she explained.

The kids nodded numbly in understanding but one dreadful bit of information had Armin very concerned "but, you said Shades can only be killed by stabbing them through the heart and Titans can only be killed by cutting the nape of the neck, so…" he said with dread and Roy sighed "yes, we took notice of that unique feature of the Titans, so…I don't know if we even can killed that Titan Shade" Roy admitted with dread.

Roy was glad that they had already eaten most of the food by then, because it was clear that everyone had lost their appetite with that dreary news. Eren still had a bit of fire left in him though as he looked to Roy "but, you can tear Titans apart like their nothing…can't you find some way to kill that thing?" he asked and Roy sighed "Eren…I'm not even a full fledged Rider. We had only just finished training when Vroengard fell and I made the mistake of thinking I could take on a Shade during the fall" he said with frustration and reached up and gripped at his eye "and I'm not the only one who payed the price for it" he added with guilt written on his face.

The kids looked at him with concerned and curious expressions and Roy sighed before lifting up his shirt and the kids gasped slightly at the silvery scar, stretching from his right collarbone to his left hip "that Shade we killed when we arrived here…gave me this during the fall" Roy started before letting his shirt fall back down "that cursed blade, cut right through my wards like they weren't even there…my heart, lounge and everything else along that line were hit. By all rights I should be dead right now but…but Vorlin saved me" he finished with a depressed look and Thalia whimpered a little.

The kids were starting to feel uncomfortable now "w-who was Vorlin?" Eren hesitantly asked and a slightly louder whine came from Thalia _"my mate"_ she answered and the kids blinked with surprise while Scarlett whimpered herself and laid her ears back.

Roy heaved a heavy sigh "he…he was gravely wounded like me and…well I guess he felt the right inspiration and, like Scarlett did for you, he saved me. That's why my new eye is silver" he explained while fighting to keep his voice from braking "he died shortly after and his Rider A-…Ari…even though she was driven mad with grief, she still sacrificed herself to buy us time to escape" he finished while barley holding back the pain in his voice. The Rider managed to recompose himself though and traced the scar over his eye "unfortunately, Vorlin's magic couldn't fix everything. A Shade's weapon inflicts a curse upon it's victims that causes debilitating pain. Whatever Vorlin did, suppressed the curse but whenever I'm near a Shade, it comes back out again, so not only is going up against a normal Shade dangerous enough, I can't even fight them at all without becoming a liability" Roy finished with an expression of utter defeat.

The dread in the air was palatable as the kids all processed what they had learned "we'll have to fight that thing won't we?" Eren asked and Roy nodded grimly "aye, if we ever wish to seal the breach then we must find a way to kill or at the very least contain it" Roy affirmed "but…how are we suppose to do that? We're cut off from aid as things stand and if a normal Shade is really that deadly…" Armin trailed off.

Eren then clinched his fists as that fire reignited in his eyes "we train…" he stared with a determination that caught everyone off guard "we prepare and then we take down the king and get the Scouts on our side. Then we can find more Riders and then with the military at our back and with more Riders, we can find a way to take that thing down" Eren said with resolve and Scarlett gave a roar of agreement.

Everyone else just stared at Eren with surprise for a moment before a smile cracked across Roy's face "that was exactly what we were thinking" he said as he felt everyone's spirits lifting again and he stood up "if you are still willing to fight, then I will train you and we will overthrow this corrupt kingdom and end this enemy at your gates" he said and the kids and young Dragon grew determined looks "when do we start?" Eren asked with a little excitement.

Roy smirked as he stood up and walked over to the books he had set out and grabbed a wooden sword that was leaning against the table as well as Wyvern. He then tossed the wooden sword to Mikasa, who caught it with ease but also with a little surprise. They then gasped as Roy unsheathed his blade and it burst into flames "right now" he answered with a devious grin and Eren blinked as it began to dawn on them just what kind of hell this training would be what have we gotten ourselves into he thought as the Rider cackled like a mad man under his breath.

The fun was about to begin.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N -** I'm back and I'm so sorry for the wait. Between normal life stuff and this whole Corona Virus outbreak, things have been kinda slow. I have to asked though, WHAY IS ONLY THE TOULET PAPER GONE! I mean I realize it's good idea to stock up, even if you don't take the virus seriously, since it's all getting bought up, but shouldn't people be buying food too, otherwise what are you gonna use the paper for.

Anyway, this chapter is kinda short, since I was trying to get something out fast to make up for the long wait, but I've already started wrighting the next one, so hopefully it will be out not long after this one.

Also, this story has exceeded two thousand views, so thank you to my readers.

Now enough ranting from me. Happy Reading everyone.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Eren fell to the floor like a limp rag dall and panted as he lay there on his back _"Scarlett" _he thought to his Dragon and received a weak and equity winded _"yes"._

Eren groaned as he looked over at her, also laying on the floor and panting with exhaustion _"Kill…Me." _he punctuated his words as his limbs throbbed with agony and while the Dragon might have normally been angry with her Rider from carlessly throwing those words around as a joke, she instead moaned in equal amounts of exahstion _"me first" _she quipped back.

Before that could continue though, a loud thumping, echoed though the tree and they looked up to see Thalia looming over them _"come now, is that all you have?" _she quested like a drill instructor and the two partners moaned in response.

It was only the second day of training and yet already they were in hell.

Eren heard more moans of pain and looked over to see Armin, also on the flooor and drenched in sweat and panting with exhaustion and with half lidded eyes.

Then Eren look up to see Mikasa, miraculously still standing but clearly not in much better shape then them, as her shaky legs, struggled to hold her up and her arms sagged a little as she struggled to hold up the wooden sword in her hands.

And then Eren looked over to see Roy, standing there, having not even broken a sweat and popping his neck as he casually twirled his sword. The flames may have been extinguished and the blade blunted by magic so as not to hurt them, but it still looked as glorious as ever.

Eren's earlier admiration for the blade was a little tainted at the moment though as he still felt the bruises from their training session "I'm starting to regret my life choices" Armin grunted out in a daze and Eren gave a strangled chuckled before wincing in pain.

Roy gave a sigh as he sheathed Wyvern "alright, I believe that is enough physical training for today" he said and Mikasa promptly dropped her wooden sword and fell on her rump, despite her best efforts to stay on her feet while the others let out sighs of relief "this…is…hell…" Eren said between breaths and Roy gave a sympathetic smile as he kneeled next to them and tended to any cuts and bruises they had "don't worry. Training will become easier with time and once you are all healthy again" he reassured them. Eren grimaced a little at Roy's words though and, with effort, lifted his slightly emaciated arm to look it over.

Despite all their hard work in surviving out in Titan territory, Eren and his friends were still malnourished and weak, so the training so far, hadn't really been about getting them ready to fight, it was about getting them healthy again so they could start training in earnest.

Eren then spared a glance at his Dragon, who wasn't much better. Even before meeting Roy and Thalia and leaning about Dragons, Eren knew Scarlett was only eating enough to survive, so she wasn't in much better shape, which caused Eren to feel a little guilty. Scarlett felt his guilt though and directed a light growl at him _"not …you…falt" _ she tried to say, her German still coming out broken.

Never the less, Eren looked back to his hand and gripped it as tightly as his torn muscles would allow _we will get stronger _ he thought with deturmanation.

Eren's thoughts were interrupted however, by Roy picking him up and setting him on his feet "come on, you all need to rest. Overworking yourselves can be just as bad as, if not worse then, doing nothing" he said as he helped Eren and Mikasa walk over to the fireplace to sit down and rest, and Eren gave a sympathetic glance to Armin, who Roy was actually carrying and Armin was too dazed and exhausted to protest.

Armin truly wasn't suited for fighting and it showed, but Roy was confident Armin could at least become competent at it with time.

Eren and Mikasa, both collapsed into their chairs, as soon as they reached them and Armin seamed to melt into his as Roy set him down and there was a heavy thud as Scarlett crumbled into a heap, next to Eren. Roy chuckled a little at the display "alright, you guys relax while you can. Once you are back on your feet, we'll cover the more academic side of being a Rider" he said and Eren groaned a little while Armin actually seamed to perk up a little.

The, "academic side" while covering manny fields, mostly consisted on learning the Ancient Laguage and learning about magic. More so with Eren, seeing as he was the only actual Rider among his friends at the moment, and he was quickly learning that, like Roy, he was not suited for it.

While Eren was dreading his coming studies, Mikasa quirked an eyebrow at Roy, in spite on her exhaustion "what are you ganna do?" she asked and it was Roy's turn to groan with irritation "I am going to get back to work on the rooms in this tree" he said while looking around at the unfinished rooms around them "I mean, you kids can't keep sleeping on the floor forever" he joked half heartedly before turning and walking to the other side of the tree and clearing his throat before quietly singing the rooms into shape.

Meanwhile, the kids all sighed as they relaxed their throbbing muscles "well, as much as this may suck. It does feel good to have a goal to work toward again and actually be able to reach it" Eren said with a small smile, which Armin returned "yah, I know what you mean" he said, before wincing a little "still though, I do hope this gets easier" he said while rubbing his arm.

Mikasa wasn't paying much attention though, as her gaze lingered on Roy and Thalia's room, or more specifically, the eggs resting within "hay" Armin said, snapping her out of it "don't worry. Roy and Thalia said that we have two weeks for them to hatch, so I'm sure we don't have anything to worry about" he said with a reassuring smile and Mikasa gave a sigh "I know, it's just…" she trailed off, not knowing how to put her feelings into proper words.

Mikasa then felt a light punch to her arm and looked over at Eren, sitting beside her witha a reassuring smile "hay, everything will be fine ok. I know it will" he told her with determination and Mikasa just stared at him for a few seconds before giving a sigh "thanks…I'll try not to think about it too much" she said and Eren smiled a little.

* * *

Meanwhile, Roy paused in his singing to listen in on the kids conversation a little. He didn't like eavesdropping but after everything they had been through, he and Thalia were a little concerned for their mental health, so he decided to keep a close eye on them for the time being _"Eren and Armin are coping better then expected" _Thalia commented from where she was sitting next to him _"aye, that they are, but it's Mikasa that concerns me" _Roy replied and the Dragon hum of agreement _"indeed. If I did not know any better, I would think she was bonded to Eren" _she agreed before giving a concerned hum _"and I do not wish to think what she might do, were he to parish or be separated from her" _she said and Roy nodded in agreement _"exactly" _he said but then frowned with concern _"but there's a bit more to it then that" _he said.

The Dragon shifted a little to face him better _"what is it?" _She asked and Roy paused in his singing again to look back at Mikasa for a moment _"that emomotionless mask of hers. How nonchalant she is. I've only ever see that kind of expression twice before. Once from that guy in the underground city at the capital here…and after we rescued that kid from bandits during our training that one time" _he said and Thalia growled a little at the memory of that day "_that poor hatchling…yes, I remember that look on that child's face all to well" _the Dragon agreed before giving the Dragon equivalent of a sigh "_unfortuantly, it is not unexpected for her to be like that after what they have been through" _she said with sympathy.

Roy grimaced however _"yes, but there's more to it then that" _he said, earring his Dragon's attention _"judging by what we've learned of them so far, it would appear that she's been this way since before the Wall was breached and…and then there was how she reacted while we were training" _Roy trailed off while casting his eyes to the ground "_she understands combat in a way no child should be capable of and…that look in her eyes when she attacked and the lack of hesitation…I'm almost certain that she's killed before" _he finished.

Thalia jumped slightly with surprise before turning to look at Mikasa and gave a sad hum _"I'm sad to say that I can believe that"_ she admitted and Roy sighed as he nodded in agreement _"it's possible Eren my have to. He certainly had that same look when he talked about killing the Titans with his bare hands"_ he added and Thalia hummed as she thought over her Rider's words _"all the more reason to keep an eye on them"_ she said and Roy nodded as he tilted his head a little so he could better pick up their conversation with his enhanced hearing.

* * *

Meanwhile, the kids hade been discussing their training and their current lot in life, when Eren suddenly seamed to grow a far away look, which was only emphasized when Scarlett whimpered at him and set her head in his lap "hay, are you ok Eren?" Armin asked, a little worried he might be reliving his time in the Titan's stomach again.

Fortunaty, Eren seamed to snap out of it quickly "huh? Oh I'm fine, I was just…" he trailed off as he grew a thoughtful expression and absentmindedly stokes the scales on Scarlett's head "I was just wondering how many people made it to Wall Rose. If anyone from our distinct made it, like…well, like dad" he explained and the others stiffened a little at Eren's words "oh…yah, I guess with everything that's been happening, I never really thought about that" Armin admitted while casting his eyes to the ground and Mikasa did the same "well, your dad was headed to the interior to give someone a check-up, so maybe he made it" she said and Eren hummed as he continued to look down at his Dragon "yah…maybe…"he trailed off.

Eren really did hope that his father had survived, but he couldn't help but worry about him _does he think we're dead? Is he just sitting there hoping that's we'll show up with the refugees?_ Eren pondered with more then a little guilt _and yet here we are. Not even planing on coming back…not for a long time anyway._

Something nudge on Eren's chest, snapping him out of his thoughts and he looked down to see Scarlett, looking up at him with large eyes _"here…learn. Then…fight" _she tried to say. Eren just stared at her for a second before suddenly cracking up a little and then trying vainly to stifle his laughter.

Everyone looked at Eren with confusion for a good moment before he got himself under control "I'm sorry, it's just…it's weird herring you talking like that sometimes while sounding like a teenager" he admitted and Scarlett jerked her head back in surprise, but then gave light growl at him, only prompting Eren to laugh more.

The others soon found themselves chuckling lightly as well, and Scarlett whipped her head around to growl at them as well, before turning her back to them and sitting on the ground with and irritated grumble "I'm sorry ok" Eren tried to apologize to his Dragon, but it was hard while he was still stifling his laughter and the Dragon's only response was more grumbling.

This only elicited more giggling and chuckles from the group "wow, Roy wasn't kidding when he said Brightscales were vain" Armin chuckled quietly as they watched the Drgaon pout _it feels good to be able to laugh like this again_ he thought with a small smile.

Armin's expression became a little more thoughtful for a moment though as he thought back on everything that lead to this point and he couldn't help the wide smile that came to his face at one memory in particular "hay guys, do you remember when Thalia killed that Titan?" He asked, earning everyone's attention "you mean when she literally breathed fire on it and incenerated it? How could I forget!? I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that Scarlett's ganna get that big AND breath fire too!" Eren said with excitement and admiration, which did cause Scarlett to stop pouting a little.

Armin chuckled a little "I know, me too. But do you remember what was left behind after?" he asked and both Eren and Mikasa tilted there heads in thought "I don't know. With everything that was going on, I wasn't really paying much attention" Mikasa admitted and Eren nodded in agreement.

Armin was a little disappointed that they hadn't noticed but he couldn't stop grinning as he remembered it "water like fire" he said and his friends eyes widened in shock while off to the side, Roy simply quirked an eyebrow in confusion "are you serious!?" Eren asked and Armin nodded "yes! I don't know how or why, but I saw something from my parents old book out there! Something from outside the walls!" He said with excitement and the others smiled widely too, even Mikasa.

Meanwhile, Roy and Thalia were feeling a combination of happeness and sympathy for the kids _"I knew the people inside the walls were isolated, but I didn't know it was this bad. Though I suppose lava isn't that common of a thing everywhere but still" _he thought to his Dragon and Thiala whined a little _"indeed, it pains me to ponder what else has been kept from them"_ she replied and Roy grimaced a little at that, but then a small smile quickly replaced it _well at least we can help these kids with that_ he thought as he refocused on his work for a moment as the kids carried on their conversation.

* * *

**A/N- **Am I doing Mikasa well? She's usually so monotone in normal conversations so I honestly forget she's there and to wright dialog for her.


	16. Chapter 16

** A/N - **Here's an updated speech key.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

_"Telepathic Speach"_

Translated From The Ancient Language

~written words~

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Roy took a deep breath as he sat down at his desk on the upper level of the tree and released it as he gazed out at the multicolored horizon, watching the sun rise.

Roy smiled as he listened to the morning breeze in the leaves of the tree before looking down at the book laying before him and opened it while grabbing an inkpen and turning to a blank page and scribbling down in English.

~Day 21~

~It has been four days since my last entry in this jornal, do to recent developments and I feel it is past time I record them.~

~Just as it has been four days since my last entry, it has also been four days since locating the lost egg, which has actually, already hatched. The Dragon's name is Scarlett Brightscales, a healthy, if a little malnerashed, red and silver Dragon. It would seam she inherited her father's trait and her pattern seams to be a combination of both her parents, she is a stunning Dragon to behold. Her partner is a young boy named Eren Jaeger, one amongst a groups of three children, who have miraculously managed to survive out among the mindless cannibals that inhabit this strange land. The other two children, who we have also presented before the remaining Dragon eggs, are a boy named Armin Arlelt and Mikasa Ackerman.~

~These children have endured a great deal which has lead myself and Thalia to keep close watch over them, for fear of their current mental states. Unfortuantly I feel that I cannot summerize them in just this one entry, so I will spread my evaluations of them out over the days as I get to know them better~

~Today I will discuss Eren and Scarlett. They are an interesting pair. While I do not yet know enough about Scarlett to give an accurate opinion on her, as she has yet to speak to anyone other then Eren, I can say she appears quite driven and protective of her partner, and Eren is likewise protective of her, even if they insist otherwise. Their bond is unusually strong for such a young pair. This may be caused partially by the extreme trauma the children have experienced.~

Roy paused for a moment and tapped his pen on his desk as he considered the words he was righting and thought back on what he knew of them before sribbling more words down.

~Out of the three of them, he has suffered the worst trauma recently, though if I am correct, Mikasa my have suffered worse earlier on in life, but I do not yet know the details.~

~Regardless, Eren has had the unfortunate expereance of being eaten by one of these Titans, and only survived thanks to his friends and Dragon. Eren outwardly, appears fine but there are subtle tells. He hides it well, but it is clear that he still thinks about his time in the Titan's stomach in addition to previous events and occasionally has nightmares about it and, according to the others, he was already suffering from nightmares before his Dragon hatched. However, it would appear Scarlett is helping him through the worst of it and…well, to say the boy has a will as strong as iron would be a gross understatement, as I learned the preveious day, during training~

* * *

Eren was very frustrated. No, he was more then that, he was pissed off beyond belief, as he stared down at the current bane of his existence.

A small rock.

Apparently, knowing how to cast magic was a must for Dragon Riders, so Roy had made it a priority for Eren to learn at least the basics, and he was even teaching Armin and Mikasa, saying that even if they didn't become Riders, it was still a useful skill, it would just be harder.

The only problem was, Eren couldn't get the stupid spell to work, and just to rub salt in the wound, Eren looked up to see Armin, with the biggest grin on his face as his rock was floating high above his palm with a pale yellow glow and even Mikasa had her's floating a little with slightly more subdued grey light, even if it was barely an inch above her palm.

Roy was currently gawking at Armin "a week…it took me a whole week to get my rock to float even a fifth of what you're doing now and you did it in just a few days, without a Dragon" he said with an almost numb voice, causing Armin to blush a little at the praise. At least Eren could take solace in the fact that he wasn't the only one who struggled with magic, but even Roy had seen some kind of reaction after his first day, while Eren was left with bupkis, even after three.

Eren groaned as he glared back down at his own rock. He was happy for Armin, but he was still frustrated with himself. He just couldn't understand what he was doing wrong. Eren could feel the energy drain when he cast the spell and he had been gradually pumping more and more into it as he continued to fail and his energy stores built up with each effort, and Roy had drilled them all on how dangerous it was just to mispronouce a spell and had spent the better part of an hour, just making sure they could speak this one without it backfiring horribly.

Eren gripped the rock tightly for a moment before releasing it and taking a deep breath and focused on the rock "flautja" he repeated the spell and felt the drain and a sensation like pressure on his palm, but the rock didn't lift.

Eren groaned with frustration as he repeated the spell again, with a little more force but the only thing that happened was a little bit more pressure on his hand "damn it! Why won't this work!?" He yelled at the rock before trying again, only to receive the same results.

Eren growled as he gripped the rock tightly with a trembling fist and felt a powerful urge to throw it at something, but a hand falling on his shoulder, made him stop before he could do anything and he looked up to see Roy, giving him a sympathetic look "calm down, not everyone is a freak of nature like Armin and get's it the first day" he said with a reassuring smile. Eren only looked back down at the rock though, with a slightly depressed expression. He knew Roy was telling the truth but he also knew that he was further behind then most, with Mikasa being where Riders usually were when they started training, and she didn't even have a Dragon yet, so Eren couldn't help but feel like he was failing, and there was something that Roy had told them that was really compounding the problem.

While teaching them about Magic, Roy had explained how he used it to fight the Titans and had stressed that he probably would have died on several occasions if not for his wards and that fighting them without magic in some capacity, would be near suicide.

That information just kept repeating in Eren's head as he stared down at the rock _if I can't use magic, then can I even become a Rider? _He thought with worry. His face hardened over though as he focused and repeated the spell again _I will get this down, I have to._

* * *

Eren was breathing as if he had run a marathon as he stood there, still with a rock in his hand and his friends stood around him with concerned looks as Roy watched with an equity concerned expression from the other side of the tree.

It had long since passed the time for their Magic training and they had moved on and now they were in the middle of a brake, but rather then rest, Eren insisted on practicing and the amount of energy he had lost from the exertion of Magic was starting to show "come on Eren, if we can do it, I'm sure you can, just give it some time" Armin said with equal part encroachment and worry. Eren just shook his head though as he focused on the rock again "I have to get this down, I just have to keep trying" he said and repeated the spell again.

Everyone grimaced a little at Eren and Roy was beginning to regret allowing Thalia to take Scarlett out to train her and get her accustomed to being separated from Eren, as he began to realize just how much she had been helping Eren through his trauma _"Thalia, I think you two should get back here soon before Eren goes too far" _he called out to his Dragon _"we are already on our way back. My hatching has been growing more and more agitated and it seams she could no longer hold herself back" _Thalia responded.

Meanwhile, Armin and Mikasa were growing more and more concerned as Eren began to actually struggle to preform the spell "Eren, maybe you should take a brake" Mikasa told him and Eren's eyelids grew heavy "just a little…more…" he trailed off as it looked like he might pass out from all the energy he was expending.

Mikasa was about to step in and try to stop Eren before he could go any further, but Roy was faster and was already moving as he quickly grabbed Eren and forced him to stop "that's enough Eren" he said and there was slight edge of disappointment in his voice.

Eren looked up at Roy with tired eyes and the Rider sighed "Eren, you can't force these thing, and if you keep this up the way you are, you are going to kill yourself" he's warned and Eren had the decency to look ashamed as he cast his eyes down.

It was at this time that Scarlett came flying in with Thalia, who had to help her hatchling get enough altitude to reach the entrance.

Scarlett immediately ran to her Rider and sniffed him up and down "hay take it easy. I'm ok" he told her and the Dragon calmed down for a moment, but it vanished, not even a second later as she growled at him with an intense glare, and if Eren's wincing was anything to go by, then she had some choice words that she was sharing with him at a rather high volume.

Roy shook his head while rubbing his eyes _is this how our instructors felt? _He thought before turning his attention back to the kids "alright, time to take a brake, and actually rest this time" he said with a pointed look at Eren, who cast his eyes to the side as he leaned on his Dragon for support as she lead him over to sit down.

* * *

Eren sat at the table with a blank expression on his face. Everyone around him was telling him not to worry about his training, but he couldn't help the feeling of failure that was plaguing him.

Meanwhile, everyone was mulling over how they could help Eren get over his block, but Roy in particular was feeling a little guilty over the whole affaire, which his Dragon picked up on _"why are you feeling guilty over this? I understand that he is your student but I see no reason for you to be depressed over it"_ she silently asked from where she sat, eating a dear. Roy sighed though _"but that is exactly why I feel this way Thalia"_ he responded while casting his worried gaze towards Eren "_we barely finished our own training, so how can we claim to be teachers?"_ He asked his Dragon, who snorted in response "_yes, we are inexperienced and it is somewhat concerning that Eren has made no progress after so many days, but who else is there to train them?" _Thalia questioned back.

Roy grimaced as he cast his eyes down _"that worries me even more Thalia. I am the one who suggested magic training so soon, when I myself struggle with it and am only now coming to truly understand their language" _he replyed and the Dragon gave a frustrated growl _"Eren's mental abilities have developed faster then any Rider we know of. It was only natural to assume he would be magically talented" _she shot back and Roy groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose before looking back to Eren.

The Rider blinked though and rubbed his eyes as he swore he could see steam rising from the distraught Eren's head, but it was gone the moment he opened his eyes again, as Mikasa clamped down rather hard on his shoulder to snap him out of it while Scarlett growled lightly at him.

Roy shook his head _I must have imagined it _he thought, though the memory would surly return and plague him for the rest of his life, but for now he had other things to focuse on "calm down, your not going to get anything done like that" Mikasa stated flatly to Eren, who looked down with a frown as he absentmindedly stoked his Dragon's scaly head "I just don't understand how you guys are able to get it down so easily" he muttered.

Armin hummed as he rubbed his chin "I don't know, I didn't really see much of a difference between how we do it at first…but I'm sure we'll figure it out if we keep trying" he said, trying to sound encouraging. Eren actually seamed to get a little bit of life back in him as he gave Armin a thankful look "yah, I just need to keep at it" he said before looking to his friends with a hopeful expression "you think you guys could give me a hand. With how well you do it Armin, I'm sure I could learn something from you" he said and Armin nodded in response "yah, of corse" he said without hesitation, but then grew a thoughtful expression "but we'll probably have to wate until you've recovered some" he said and Eren groaned slightly with frustration.

Roy gave a somewhat downtrodden sigh as he shook his head _I really am pathetic if a ten year old can train someone in magic better then me _he scolded himself before rising to his feet, catching everyone's attention "that won't be necessary. I'll lend you the power needed to keep practicing" he said, earning surprised reactions from everyone and a light growl of irritation from Thalia _"for what perpose would you allow him to continue training in his current condition?" _she silently demanded of her Rider, who grimaced a little "if you are failing at your training, it is do to my failure as teacher. Clearly my methods up to this point are not working, so perhaps a new approach and fresh perspective with help" he said aloud, before casting his eyes to Armin "a perspective that can actually preform magic decently" he added and the boy grew a little sheepish under Roy's gaze.

Roy only smiled at the, now nervous, boy, before leading them away from the table out onto a balcony that he had only recently finished, where they could see the sun starting to set over the wall, casting deep shadows through the foraest. Roy then turned to face his students "alright, we'll go back to basics and work our way back up, but…I'll be relying on that sharp mind of yours to help figure out the problem Armin" he explained and Armin seamed to grow even more nervous "w-why me?" he stuttered a little but Roy just chuckled in response "don't sell yourself short. You are much smarter then you realize" he said and the others nodded in agreement "he's right. We all would have died a long time ago if not for that big brain of yours" Eren pitched in, causing Armin to look at him and blink with surprise.

Roy simply chuckled a little "alright, let's get started" he said and Eren got into position as the others observed.

* * *

The sun had long since set and now the moon was bathing everything in pale, blue light. Eren stood in the middle of his friends with more confidence then he had in a while, with Scarlett there to both lend him power along with Roy, and to help curb his mental stress. Not that Eren had really expended that much energy yet, as Armin had suggested practicing and going through the process before actually attempting the spell that many times.

Now was the moment of truth. Eren had practiced and worked his way up from the bottom again, which was admittedly not that far behind him to begin with, but still, and Armin and Mikasa had given him some good advice.

Eren took a deep breath as he looked back down at the rock in his hand and prepared to cast the spell _this is it. Do or die_ Eren thought as he glared at the rock and cast the spell again, pumping as much power as he dared into it.

Roy blinked with surprise as he felt how much energy Eren was draining from him and Scarlett _what in the name of- how is he not passing out from the drain! How does a novice like Eren have that much power to feed into the spell? _Roy pondered as he studied Eren, who was focusing intently on the rock.

The boy's eyes widened slightly as he felt a small gap form between his palm and the rock. It was no thicker then a sheet of papper but it was a gap no less and a smile began to spread across his face _I'm doing it! I'm finally doing it! _he thought with excitement but it ended as quickly as it began as the rock instantly fell back to his hand with a surprising amount of force.

Eren stared down at the rock with a feeling of dread as the flow of power stopped _no…no, no, please no, not after all that work _he thought as Armin and Mikasa watched him with sympathy and concern…all except Roy.

The Rider seamed almost emotionless as he walked up to Eren and kneaded down at eye level with him and he stared intently at the rock in Eren's hand "just one more time, I'm sure I can-" Eren's words were cut off as Roy grabbed Eren's hand, but rather then take the rock away, he held it up where he could see it closer and he ran his thumb over a small crack that wasn't there before "Eren, let me here that spell again, but without putting energy into it. Juts speak the word" he requested.

Eren's distress evaporated and confusion took it's place as he hesitantly complied "flautja" he spoke the spell and Roy closed his eyes as he listened closely and his guilt from before only grew as he finally heard it.

Roy gave a sigh as his face fell with shame "I am truly a terrible magic instructor" he muttered before looking back at the kids, who were all looking at him expectantly "you are miss pronouncing the spell" he said and Eren's eyes widened "but, you had me go over it with you for at least an hour to make sure I was saying it right" Eren said and Roy grimaced "yes and that just shows how unprepared I am for teaching" he muttered before standing back up to full height "it is nearly imperceivable and I think it is do to your accent. I did not notice do to my unfamiliarity with both your laguage, and my inadequacy with the Ancient Laguage" Roy explained but Mikasa arched an eyebrow in confusion though "but then why didn't it effect me and Armin, and why couldn't you notice it?" she asked and Roy shook his head "yours and Armin's etiquette is well enough that your accent didn't interfere with the spell and his precise study and pronunciation didn't hurt ether" he explained before looking to to Eren "also, your language does not exist in Alagaësia, so nether dose your accent, meaning it's never been heard in the Ancient Language before" he finished with a head hung "this is entirely my fault. In my hast to teach you magic and my inexperience with teaching, I put you at great risk. I hope you can forgive me" he said.

The kids felt a little awkward at the apology "i-it's fine, I guess this is a learning experience for all of us" Armin said and Roy gave a relived sigh as he looked up to see Eren giving him an encouraging smile "yah, no problem. Help me get it right and we'll call it even" he said and Roy smiled as he went about correcting the near imperceivable miss pronunciation.

Once Roy was confident that Eren had it down, he stepped back and watched as Eren got ready to cast the spell again and he could practically see the combination of nervousness and excitement running though him "flautja!" Eren cast the spell and Roy's eyes widened as he realized that he forgot to warn Eren about something "wait!" he yelled but it was too late, and the last thing Eren heard was Mikasa and Scarlett calling out his name as he felt pain explode in his face.

* * *

Eren groaned as he woke back up and tried to open his eyes but clenched them shut as all he saw was a white light, glowing right in front of his face but he could clearly feel his Dragon's panic though _"Scarlett?" _he thought to his Dragon but even that gave him bit of a headache, which was exacerbated further when the Dragon's mind, which was already coiled tightly around his, suddenly bust in _"Eren!" _Scarlett answered with relief.

Eventually, the ringing in Eren's ears subsided and he could make out someone speaking in the Ancient Language and he was finally able to open his eyes enough to make out the silhouette of a hand, which soon stopped glowing and was removed to reveal the very relived faces of his friends "Eren!" Mikasa called with relief as she and Scarlett bother cling to him tightly.

Eren blinked several times as he tried to make sense of what was going on "how are you feeling Eren?" Roy asked and the boy wince a little "I got a killer headache, but aside from that I'm fine. What happened anyway?" he replied and Roy actually smiled as he looked up.

Eren followed his gaze and gasped as he saw the rock he had been attempting to lift, lodged in a branch, hight above "it would seam that all your failed attempts to make the rock float were not without benefit. Your already abnormally large reserves of energy, expanded like a muscle as you kept putting more and more power into the spell each day, and so when you finally performed the spell properly while putting all that energy into it, it shot up like a cannon, right in your face" Roy explained and Eren reached up to feel his face while he continued to stare up at the rock. He didn't feel anything wrong with his face, not even a scar, most likely thanks to Roy healing him, but even with the knowledge that he had injured himself bad enough that he actually knocked himself out, he couldn't help the large smile that stretched across his face before finally looking back down at his friends, to see Roy holding a hand out to him, to help him up.

Eren accepted the hand and Roy pulled him up and out of the clutches of Mikasa and Scarlett and Eren blinked as Roy held out another rock "this time, don't hold your head directly over it and don't put all the power you have into it but feed it in slowly as you need it" Roy told him with a smirk and Eren continued to smile as he eagerly took the rock, all previous sense of frustration and anger gone as he held the rock far away from his face and repeated the spell one last time, gradually feeding power into it this time, and Eren's hand and the rock, slowly began to glow in a red light as it began to float above his hand.

Eren's smile grew even wider if it was possible _yes! I did it! _He thought with excitedly while the others all watched with notably smaller smiles of there own and Scarlett gave a happy roar, her previous panic giving way to the joy that she was feeling over their link, mixed with her own.

* * *

[Present Day]

Roy smiled as he remember the events of previous day while looking over the balcony at Eren and his friends, chatting about training and such as they awoke, before he turned back and set his thoughts down in ink.

~Eren is still no where near an expert on magic, still struggling to grasp the language, however he is marking steady progress now and his maisve reserves of energy means he can cast powerful spells and with time, he will be quite the Rider. Still though, I did learned two things that day~

~The first, that I must endever to become better as a mentor and second, Eren, in spite of his powerful thirst for revenge, is one of the most forgiving people you can ever meet.~

~No matter how manny times I apologized to him, Eren insisted that I simply forget the whole debacle and move forward.~

Roy frowned at this last train of thought as he gripped his pin a little tighter.

~But alas, this is something I simply cannot do. Eren was fortunate to only come out of the ordeal slightly injured, as miss pronouncing a spell can have disastrous effects, and my shortcomings very well could have gotten them killed or worse.~

~I am barely a Rider in the since of training and experience and I am barely even a man yet. But I am the only one who can help these kids and train them for what is to come, so I must be better.~

Roy paused as he read over his last words and chuckled a little "it would seam that Eren is rubbing off on me" he muttered as a determined look, crossed his face as he looked back out the window. The sun was now rising over the wall, it was time to get back to training.

* * *

**A/N - **"flautja" - float


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N - **A big thank you, to everyone who's stuck with this story so far, it feels really great to know people are actually enjoying the insanity that I write.

Also, if anyone knows about the different types of Dragons, like Brightscales, please leave a review or PM with suggestions for future Dragons, because I can't for the life of me, find any info about them online.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review, I live for feedback.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 17**

* * *

~Day 24~

~Something big happened today, and because of the opportune timing and because it has been a few days since my last evaluation of one of the kids, today I will talk about Armin.~

~Armin Arlelt is a very kind and considerate individual but he is not physically gifted in any sense of the word. In fact I can say with confidence that the poor boy has the constitution of a dandelion. However, he more then makes up for this shortcoming with his keen and brilliant mind and an incredible aptitude for magic.~

~Of the three children, I believe Armin to to be the most mentally stable and level headed of the group. Of corse he is still traumatized by his experiences just like the others and has suffered many injuries and was recovering from an infection when we found them, and there does appear to be a shift in his personality from what the others have told me. Apparently Armin has become more driven then he used to be, and I can see a fire in his eyes when training that does indeed seam a little out of character from his usual, almost timid demeanor, I've seen when he's relaxed. But in spite of this, Armin still remains the most grounded of the three, though I have noticed he has a tendancy to get flustered when presented with a shocking or traumatic situation, but I have confidence that he can overcome it. I know he would not have survived out in Titan territory for so long if he could not.~

~Anyway, as I said before, something important happened today and it is time I addressed what that was.~

* * *

Armin winced as he felt his head throb, like someone was pushing a rod through his skull, but he held firm as it shifted around in his mind, looking for an opening. Armin was blind to everything else around him as he focused on keeping the pain out of his head, keeping a single picture in his mind to try and block it out.

Armin was beginning to feel a bit more confident as he continued to focus on the image and his mind remained his own, but then, with a sudden stab of pain, the mental probe found and opening and forced it open and Armin felt as if ice hade suddenly run along his nerves as his body went stiff and ridged and he could no longer control him limbs.

The feeling ended as soon as it began though and Armin gasped and hugged himself as a shiver ran down his spine "I hate that feeling" he muttered before shaking his head free of his dizziness and he looked up again to see Roy smile at him "aye, it is a horrible feeling and that is exactly why we are training like this to keep it from happening for real" he said as he walked up to Armin "still though, your mental defenses are impressive for one so young and inexperienced. You held out longer then I during training, and longer then the others" he continued while casting his gaze to the side, to Eren, Scarlett and Mikasa, who were all very dizzy and gripping their heads in mild pain.

Armin winced a little upon seeing his friends' less the ideal state. Mikasa was a bit better off then the others but still, Armin seamed to be the best suited for anything magic related.

Roy chuckled slightly "don't worry, they will be fine, they just need a few moments to get their senses back in order. For now let's discuss how we can improve your mental defenses" he said and Armin noddd as they set about going over his technique "by the way, what was that image you used for your defense? It looked but like a picture of the sea" Roy asked and Armin smiled in response "it was" he trailed off with a thoughtful and fond expression "a few years ago, my parents found a book about the outside. It was a big surprise, since knowledge about the outside is illegal in the walls but we read it and I eventually showed it to Eren and Mikasa too. That's when we promised each other we'd explore the outside togather someday…anyway, the idea of the sea just seamed to strike a chord in me and it's been my dream to see it ever since" he explained.

Roy smiled as he listened _so that's where that drive of yours comes from _he thought "it is a good dream to have, the sea truly is a beautiful place when the whether's calm, but if I may give you some advice, when you do get there, be sure to stay until ether sunrise or sunset" Roy told Armin, who arched his eyebrow in curiosity "why's that, does something special happen?" he asked and Roy smiled fondly as memories of his time at the beach with his closest friends, returned "you could say that…but I'll not spoil it for you, just know that I'll do what I can to ensure you get there" Roy promised.

Armin smiled in return "thanks…I only wish my parents could have seen it…" Armin muttered they last part under his breath but Roy heard it none the less "I'm sorry about your family" he said and Armin jumped slightly with surprise, not realizing that he had actually spoken the last part aloud. Roy placed his hand on Armin's shoulder before he could say anything else though and gave a sigh "look, I'm not going to pretend to know exactly what you're going through, but I do know what it's like to loose your family" Roy confessed.

Armin looked down for a moment as he took in Roy's words "you lost your family too?" He asked, he wasn't entirely sure why he did it but he felt like he had to hear Roy out, especially after he had let them vent so much of their own troubles on him. The Rider just sighed though "not exactly…" he started while looking away and Armin began to feel like he had made a mistake in asking "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I'm a bastard" Roy interrupted Armin's apology. The boy simply blinked with confusion though "w-what?" he asked and the Rider rubbed the back of his neck "I'm a bastard. My parents weren't wed. I didn't even know who my father was until I became a Rider. That's why I'm named Mayson after my mother May, instead of for my father" He explained and Armin felt a combination of sympathy and curiosity "I'm sorry, that must have been hard" he said but then hummed in thought "but, why would that effect your name?" he asked and Roy gave a sigh that seamed the carry years of resentment and tension but he forced himself to relax before adressing Armin again "in Alagaësia, children don't inherit a single family name, and are instead named after their parents or accomplishments they've acheaved, like may name for example, in your language it would mean son of May…" Roy paused for a moment as he thought this over for a moment "well, at least that used to be my name. I guess technically I would be Roy Shadeslayer now" he muttered that bit to himself more then Armin, Roy shook his head free of his thoughts though before looking away with a slightly bitter expression "technically shouldn't have even had a last name before killing that Shade when we arrived" Roy explained with a little reluctance.

Armin was surprised by the information and sudden shift in conversation from training, the rider gave another bitter sigh though "look it's a long story, and a deep wound I'd rather not re-open any more then it already has. Maybe I'll tell you more about it another time…but I will say that the only living blood relative I cared about was my mother and…well she was living with me on Vroengard when it fell, and I couldn't find any trace of her afterwords…" Roy explained with downcast eyes.

Roy didn't know why he suddenly decided to open up to Armin, but he couldn't help it as the words left his mouth before he had time to think about what he was saying and he was sure that if Thalia's mind wasn't currently coiled around his and flooding it with as much positive emoition as possible, his voice would have cracked more then a few times during his talk with Armin.

Meanwhile, Armin was watching Roy with concern and sympathy. It was clear the Rider was suffering and unlike them, he's had no one to vent to aside from his Dragon so far, all the while helping them deal with their troubles and training them and, even though it was obvious in his appearance, it was sometimes easy to forget that Roy was still just a teenager and had suffer just like them, and as Armin though this, he hesitantly began to move towards the Rider.

Roy was suddenly snapped out of his grief fuled stupor by something rapping around him and he looked down to see, to his surprise, Armin was hugging him.

Roy just stood there dumbly for a moment as he looked down at the boy, whom he'd only known for a week, comforting him. Roy eventually smiled though and hugged the boy back as so much of the tension he'd been carrying, melted away and Roy couldn't help but wonder. When was the last time he had felt like this? To feel cared for. It had been over a month since his home had been destroyed and nearly everyone he cared about with it. As far as Roy knew, Thalia was the only one close to him who survived.

Maybe it was the similar circumstances between them and the shared trauma, but as Roy stood there, he realized he was beginning to care for these kids. He was beginning to feel like he had a home again and he would damned if he let anything happen to them.

Eventually, the two let each other go and Armin immediately started to look embarrassed "s-sorry, you just seamed so sad and…" Armin trailed off sheepishly while averting his gaze but Roy just smiled "thank you Armin" he said and the boy looked up at him with surprise "it feels good to get all of that stuff out so thanks for letting me vent" he said and Armin smiled "any time" he replied and Roy patted him on the shoulder "likewise. If you need to talk about this kind of stuff too, then you know where to find me, and that goes for the others too" he said and Armin nodded in thanks.

A long moment passed with the two looking at each other sheepishly and Roy cleared his throat to brake the awkward silence "well, anyway…let's get back to our lesson-" Roy stopped abruptly before he could continue and looked over towards his room and Thalia, who had been watching over the others, suddenly perked up as well, as she gave her Rider a questioning look. It quickly changed to surprise and excitement through as he she gave a happy roar and bounded her way toward their room "wait here" Roy instructed as he quickly ran after his Dragon.

Armin just stood there and stared with confusion for a moment before Eren, Scarlett and Mikasa, walked up to him "hay Armin, what's going on?" Eren asked as they stood before him and Armin shrugged in response "I don't know. He just froze up all of a sudden before him and Thalia ran into their room" he replied before looking back towards the room and his thoughts drifted to the eggs inside. It had been a week since they had been presented to the eggs, meaning they were at the halfway point now, and they were running out of time.

Armin's eyes widened though as he was pondering this _wait, the eggs! Don't tell me… _he trailed of in thought and hope when Scarlett suddenly roared happily and Armin looked to see her prancing around and Eren staring at her and then Roy and Thalia's room with surprise, but a big grin quickly overtook his face as Roy and Thalia walked out of the room, the Rider carrying something in his hands "Armin, Mikasa!" he called out and the two kids both felt their hopes rising as he approached "i-is that?" Armin stuttered and Roy smiled as he lowered his arms to reveal the green egg, with a crack running across it's surface.

The kids all smiled with excitement _this is it! One of the eggs is actually going to hatch! _Armin thought with excitement and a little nervousness as Roy set the egg on the ground and backed up "each of you stand an equal distance from the egg" he instructed and the kids complied while Eren and Scarlett moved over to the side to watch without interfering.

Everyone watched with anticipation as the egg began to shake and both Armin and Mikasa were silently thankful it wasn't to pink egg, but were too excited to think on that for very long as more cracks appeared along with several squeaks from inside the egg. Then the tip of the egg broke away as a gree snout stuck out and squeaked once before pulling it's self back in and an emerald green eye could be seen, starring out before studying the edges off the hole and finally putting it's paws at the edges of the opening and pushing it wider.

The kids couldn't help but feel a little tense at how slowly the hatchling was going. It seamed this Dragon had more patients then Scarlett as it slowly went about opening the hole in the egg. Eventually the hole was wide enough that the hatchling began pushing itself through and it began squeezing though the hole, only stopping for a moment when it got stuck about halfway and braced it's legs against the egg and pushed, widening the hole and causing it to sort of "pop" out of the egg.

In spite of there excitement, the kids couldn't help but take note of how adorable the little hatchling was. It's scales, while not nearly as bright as Scarlett's, were mostly forest green with light green on it's belly, but aside from that, there was no additional pattern to the hatchling's scales, thought it's horns appeared to already be growing in and quite large, while it didn't have any spines yet.

Everyone was practically bursting with excitement, waiting for the Dragon to choose it's Rider, but the hatchling seamed more inturresting in taking in it's surroundings, looking at everything with a sense of wonder and even studying the exterior of it's egg.

Scarlett pranced in place _"I'm not sure if I can take much more of this" _she said to Eren and the boy nodded in agreement, while noting how much her speaking had improved over the past few days.

The hatchling heard Scarlett's whining and looked over at her while tilting it's head cutely in curiosity, but it quickly shifted it's gaze to Armin and Mikasa and squeaked before bounding up to the two of them, stopping a few feet in front of them and starring at them both intently.

Both the kids stiffened as the hatching studied them. This was the moment of truth and the tension was palatable as they all stood their waiting.

Then the hatchling chirped at it's Rider and Armin's eyes widened in shock as the little reptile pranced up to him, while tripping over it's own feet a few times.

Armin just stared down at the hatchling for a moment as he processed that the Dragon had actually chosen him. While Armin had hoped that one would hatch for him, there had always been a bit of doubt, tugging at the back of his mind. After all, Dragons were massive and powerful creatures, so it only made since that someone like Mikasa would be chosen first. But here was a Dragon, with it's snout streatched up towards him and waiting expectantly.

Armin looked at the others, almost as if asking for permission, but only saw the smiles on his friends' faces and on Roy's, who had already walked up closer to him but still keeping a little distance. Roy seamed to understand Armin's hesitance though and gave him an encouraging nod and Armin smiled before looking back down at the hatchling and reaching out to meet it halfway. His eyes widened though as he suddenly remembered what happened to Eren when he bonded to Scarlett, but he remembered too late as his hand made contact with the Dragon's snout and a somewhat feminine scream echoed out from the tree as pain shot up his arm and seized his body and mind, and his vision begin to fade.

* * *

Armin groaned as he began to wake back up with a throbbing headache "ugh…what happened…" he moaned as he reached up to grip his sore head. Armin froze though, as he saw his palm and the silver mark on it. It was then that Armin remembered what happened and gasped as he finally noticed the inquisitive and cureious mind, filling his own.

Armin then heard a squeak and looked to his chest to see the little green hatchling, staring back at him. A large smile then stretched it's self across Armin's face as he felt both his own joy and that of his Dragon, who pounced at his head and rapped around it, causing Armin to laugh a little, his headache forgotten and fading.

The Dragon eventually let go of Armin's head and sat on his chest again so it could look at him with those inquisitive eyes and Armin continued to smile as he and stroked the hatchling's, still slimy, scales "hi there" he said and the Dragon chirped in response and processed to nuzzle Armin's face.

The two then heard someone chuckling and looked over to see everyone sitting there by Armin's side, who was laying on the couch next to the fireplace. Armin blinked when he saw them all there with ginning faces "o-oh…hay guys" he said as he sat up, the hatchling moving to his lap as he did and Eren laughed happily while hooking an arm around Armin neck "congratulations Armin!" he said and Armin was a little taken aback by how excited he was, but then smiled all the same as he looked back down at his Dragon and turned his hand over to look at the sliver mark on his palm _this is really happening…I'm a Dragon Rider _Armin thought as he came to grips with what had happened.

Scarlett then pranced up to them and sniffed at the hatchling, who did the same in turn, while Thalia leaned her head down to get a closer look as well. Scarlett then looked to the new Rider and gave a happy hum _"congratulations Armin" _she spoke and Armin and Mikasa jumped at her voice in there heads "S-Scarlett?" Armin asked and the Dragon hummed happily _"yes" _she answered and Roy laughed a little "you picked a heck of a time to finally start talking to others" he remarked while Thalia nuzzled her hatchling.

Eren smiled at his Dragon before looking back down at Armin's, who was watching the older ones with that cute and curious tilt of it's head "so, is it a boy or a girl?" Eren asked and Armin blinked as he looked down at his Dragon and squinted as he tried to reach out for their link and was surprised at how easy it was as the hatchling looked up at him "wow, this is kinda weird" he muttered as he felt his Dragon's emotions and found that the little thing really was cureious about anything and everything "I…think it's a boy" he answered after a moment's thought and the hatchling squeaked at him happily and Armin couldn't help but laugh himself as he felt his Dragon's happiness bleed over to him and with his Dragon climbing up his chest and sniffing every inch of his face.

The others laughed to and Scarlett brought head in close to the hatchling and hummed to him. The baby Dragon responded by sniffing at Scarlett's snout as if he could understand how everything worked by just smelling it. Scarlett was amused at first but then the hatchling reared up and hopped onto her snout and Scarlett stiffened as she brought her head over Armin so if the hatchling fell, it would be on him.

Eren arched a confused eyebrow at his Dragon. He was feeling conflicted emotions from her. On one hand, she was still gushing over the hatchling and being extreamly protective of him, but on the other, she was feeling very uncomfortable and…disgusted? _"Hay Scarlett, what's wrong?" _Eren silently asked his Dragon and her eyes shifted to him _"he's getting gunk on my scales" _she answered and Eren just stared at her for a moment before braking out laughing, earning confused looked from the others _I knew Brightscales were supposed to be vain but man _Eren thought to himself as his Dragon growled slightly at him while the hatchling continued to sniff every inch of her face.

Mikasa hummed as she partially figured out what was going on "do you talk like that with her often?" she asked and Eren stopped laughing a he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly but Roy was the one who answered though "you get used to it after a while" he said and Mikasa turned her gaze to him "you do it too?"she asked and Roy nodded "yah, it just kinda comes naturally to Riders and it's good for when we just want to talk to our Dragons" he explained and Mikasa grew quiet again as she mulled over his words.

Armin brushes the information aside though, as he had noticed the privet conversations Eren and Roy held with their Dragons a long time ago, and instead he focused on his Dragon with a smile "alright, let's get the rest of the egg cleaned off you" he said and the hatchling looked at him and squeaked as Armin stood and picked the hatchling up and carried him over to clean him off, while Scarlett began furiously pawing the egg off her snout, earning a little more laughter from Eren.

* * *

Roy paused and looked up from writing his journal, when he heard laughter and saw Armin with his Dragon in a small tub of water and shielding his face from the soupy water the hatchling was kicking up as he played happily in the water.

Roy smiled at the scene before turning back to his book.

~Armin is a Dragon Rider now, and it has brought no small amount of relief to the group. Thalia and myself are simply happy that another egg has hatched, Eren is happy that he won't outlive at least one of his friends and is hopeful that another will hatch for Mikasa and Armin already seams happier and more confident in himself then he used to be.~

Roy frowned a little as he considered his next words.

~Mikasa does concern me a little though. She is clearly happy for her friend but there is a sense of worry hidden beneath that mask she wears and if another egg doesn't hatch soon, then I worry what may become of her~

~And then there's how Armin bonded to his Dragon. I know the bonding processes is painful but to cause both Eren and Armin to actually pass out for as long as they did is very concerning~

Roy frowned as he cast his gaze over to the kids, but shook himself from the dark thoughts as everyone laughed at the playful little Dragon, Armin was trying to clean and he set the journal aside _enough of that. I'm sure everything will work out in the end_ he thought to himself as he went over to try and help with the baby Dragon.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N - **I have returned!

Yes I am still alive and I am terribly sorry it took so long for me to update my story. Long story short, life happens, not Covid, at least not directly, and I hit the unmovable object that is writers block. Now updates may still be slow for a while but I have not abandoned this story. Thank you to everyone who has put up with my absence and as always, happy reading.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 18**

* * *

~Day 28~

~Today I will talk about Mikasa~

~Mikasa is a hard woman to get a read on. She almost always wears an emotionless mask, however it will break if anything happens to her friends to put them in danger, especially Eren, whom she is almost fanatically devoted to. Additionally, she appears to have an almost instinctual knowledge of combat and a killer intent that can be terrifying.~

~I am greatly concerned for Mikasa however. As I said, the girl has a strong connection to Eren and so far an egg has yet to hatch for her as we approach the two week deadline, and as a result, Mikasa has been coming under an increasing amount of stress and worry, though she hides it well.~

~Today that stress hit a tipping point during training.~

* * *

Mikasa breathed hevily as the sword in her hands grew heavy with exhaustion and she glared across the temporary practice area Roy had made until he could sing a proper training room out of the tree.

Roy on the other hand, was casually standing there with a magically dulled Wyvern, with it's flames extinguished. However, his mind was anything but the causal mask he currently displayed, as he studied Mikasa with a critical eye _"something's up with Mikasa. Usually I have to at least focus a little when training her, as opposed to the others" _he spoke to his Dragon, who was currently teaching Scarlett and to a slightly lesser extent, the new hatchling, about how Dragons live.

Thalia spared a glance over at the humans _"indeed, and she usually lasts longer then the others before getting tired like this" _she said while eyeing Armin and Eren. The latter of which was panting heavily with exhaustion but was still on his feet while he waited over on the sidelines with Armin, who was laying on the ground and nearly passed out. Thalia had to turned her attention back to her own students however, as Armin's Dragon looked ready to bolt for his Rider, out of worry.

Fortunately, Scarlett stopped the little hatchling before he could incite her mother's temper, with a light hum and some silent words. Speaking of Scarlett, the Dragon was developing at a steady rate and, thought she was still protective of her Rider, she seamed more trusting of Roy with his training and willing to let Eren take a bit of punishment under the circumstances as she sat there, though that may have been do in part to Roy having them constantly in each other's heads during training.

Roy gave a thoughtful grunt as he considered what could be bothering Mikasa, though he didn't really need to think long or hard. It was obvious what was causing the girl's stress. There were only three days left for an egg to hatch for Mikasa.

What really perplexed Roy was why? Why was Mikasa so fanatically devoted to Eren?

This question continued to plague Roy as he deflected and parried each and every strike and slash, Mikasa sent him and he quickly countered. Mikasa growled in frustration though as she turned on Roy with that merderious glare that always sent a shiver down Roy's spine, no matter how many times he saw it. But this time was a little different, as there was anger behind that merduious intent. A deep festering rage and frustration that had been slowly boiling to the surface and Roy blinked with surprise as she launched herself at him with incredible speed _holy shit! _the Rider thought as he suddenly was forced to put some effort into the fight.

Roy's face scrunched up in concentration as he frantically blocked Mikasa's rapid attacks _how in god's name does a ten year old, know how to fight like this!? _Roy thought as Mikasa presses her frantic attack with a yell of rage until finally.

**SMACK!**

Roy's face suddenly grew a red line across his right cheek as the dulled blade collided with his wards but still sent his head flying to the side, eliciting gasps of shock from their spectators. Mikasa wasn't finished though, as her rage blinded her and she was about to press the attack further, but then.

**CLANG!**

Roy brought his sword up and blocked the blade, holding it in a deadlock. Mikasa would have pulled back and countered, but a low, frustrated growl, made her stop in her tracks and watch as Roy slowly looked up at her with a glare of his own and the shear power he exuded gave even Mikasa pause for a moment.

And just like that, the claws came out as, for the first time ever, the kids saw Roy actually fight for real.

Roy yelled, easily pushing Mikasa back several feet before charging her and unleashing a blitz of attacks, even faster then she had, and Mikasa only managed to barely parry as dodge a few of them and being unable to block at all with the shear strength put into the attacks.

Roy slowly pushed Mikasa back and suddenly that rage he'd seen in her eyes was gone and actual fear replaced it as she struggled the defend until he forced her into another deadlock but he quickly ended it by effortlessly disarming her and casting the blade away with just a flick of his own.

Mikasa fell back as Roy pointed his blade at her throat with a stern glare while her and the others blinked in shock. They had never seen him get that intinse during training before and it really hammered home the divide in power and skill between them.

Everything was still as that moment seamed to stretch on for hours, but Roy eventually released a heavy sigh and lowered his blade "terrifying isn't it? To have someone infinitely more powerful then you loose control and have you at the end of their blade?" Roy asked rhetorically and with a serious tone.

As Roy said this, a memory of a man with an axe, came flanshing back to Mikasa for a moment, but she quickly shook it off as she focused on Roy, who noticed the flash of recognition in her face but didn't call it out and instead continued to hold her with a hard stare "you need to understand, all of you, that I am teaching you how to kill" he said ominously and gaining everyone's undivided attention "make no mistake, I am not endorsing murder or telling you to resort to killing at the first sign of trouble, quite the opposite actually.…but in the end that is what these skills are for, and you will have to kill eventually if you fallow this path, and that is exactly why you cannot loose control like you just did" he said while boring holes in Mikasa's head with his eyes.

Roy gave the kids a moment to mull over his word before finally allowing his serious mask to brake and he let out a sigh "rage can be a powerful motivator. It can keep you alive and push you further then normally possible, but it can also blind you if you can't control it" he said while castling a glance over at Eren for a moment "you need to understand that if you give in to rage like that, then you could go too far and kill someone that needs to be take in alive, or worse, hurt an innocent bystander by accident" he explained.

Everyone was quiet for a long moment before Roy took a breath to calm his nerves and sheathed his blade "I think that's enough training for now. Take a brake and some time to think" he said as he left the kids to chew on his words.

Thalia cast a concerned glance to her Rider _"perhaps you should mind your own teachings. You may have pushed them too hard that time" _she silently advised and Roy did pause in his stride for a moment _"perhaps…but this is a lesson they best learn sooner rather then later…lest they repeat my mistake…" _the Rider said with a somber tone.

Thalia whimpered a little as she felt her Rider's guilt _Roy, how long will you continue to blame yourself for what happened? _she thought to herself as Roy walked up the stairs to the upper level and out onto the balcony.

Thalia shook herself from her musing before her own grief could take hold and decided to dismiss her students as well, and the green hatchling eagerly bolted for his Rider and leaped onto Armin as he was getting up, causing him to yelp a little as he lost balance but managed to stand up strait again with Eren's help "whoa, it's alright, I'm fine" Armin tried to calm his Dragon, who purred as he nuzzled Armin's face, causing the boy to laugh a little in spite of his exhaustion.

Armin's good mood fell quickly though as he looked over at Mikasa, still sitting on the floor as she looked down with what could have been shame or frustration, possibly both, but Armin couldn't tell for sure. Armin's thoughts also drifted to how Roy reacted and what he had said, as he and Eren went to help Mikasa up and they went over to rest by the fireplace.

Several minuets passes in awkward silence as Roy's outburst and the hard words he had shared, ate away at the kids and even Armin's Dragon, climbing up on top of his head and purring, couldn't lift the boy's spirits as he contemplated. But something else weighed on both Armin and Eren's minds as they glanced at Mikasa with worry.

Mikasa was currently alternating between looking down at her feet in shame and glancing up at Roy's room with frustration_ "hay Armin"_ said boy jumped slightly when he suddenly heard Eren's voice in his head and he looked over at his friend, who had a concerned look on his face _"you got a minuet?" _Eren asked and Armin frowned a little as he wondered what would warrant Eren wanting to silently speak with him. Armin trusted his friend though and gave a discreet node, as he was still not confident in his own telepathy enough to speak without fear of accidentally broadcasting it to everyone.

Eren gave a slightly relived but still tense sigh _"I'm worried about Mikasa. She's been acting weird lately and it's not like her to just loose it like that out of the blue"_ Eren explained as he and Armin glanced over towards Mikasa. Armin then glanced over at Eren _I know what you mean. Mikasa does tend to loose her cool occasionally but only when one of us in in danger. _he thought without broadcasting it, knowing that Eren was listening in _but I can understand where her stress is coming from. She only has three days left for an egg to hatch _he pointed out and Eren groaned a little at the reminder.

Eren was still hopeful that an egg would hatch, but even he was starting to get a little nervous. Eren was broken from his worried thoughts when Scarlett batted her head against his arm _"don't worry, there is still time" _she said encouragingly but Eren was still concerned _"I know, but what do we do for her until then? The stress is really getting to her" _he said and Scarlett huffed at him with what might have been disappointment _"Mikasa is strong. She will get through this. All you need do is support her" _Scarlett replied with confidence.

While the three of them were discussing all of this however, Mikasa was growing more frustrated. She may not have been very observant of everything going on around her at the moment, but she wasn't stupid. She knew everyone was silently discussing her current condition and it only fueled her growing frustration until she couldn't take it anymore and stormed off without a word "huh, h-hay, Mikasa!?" Eren called after her and was about to fallow her but Scarlett held him down with her head on his lap _"let her cool off for a moment. I may not fully understand you two-legs and how you display emotions with those flat faces of yours, but I know that when a female is agitated like this, you best give them a moment before attempting to help" _she advised and Eren hesitated for a moment before begrudgingly heading the advise of his Dragon, earning a smug purr from her.

* * *

Several hours later, after finishing the day's training, despite how tense it was after everything that happened, and Mikasa was still silently fuming with frustration with nowhere to vent it as she stood at the balcony and stared out while gripping the railing tightly.

Roy watched her from the window next to his desk with worry, then he turned to look over the upper floor's balcony at the others, who were huddled togather, discussing how they could help their friend.

Roy groaned as he let his head fall back "why is being a teacher so hard?" he muttered under his breath while rubbing his face. Eventually he gave a sigh of resignation and got up from his desk _I guess I'll have to deal with this_ he thought with a little frustration as he made his way down and to the balcony.

Thalia walked up to him as he went _"are you sure you wish to intrude on her thoughts? You may be poking your snout into something personal" _she asked and Roy groaned as he shook his head "no, but I don't really have a choice. We can't allow this to go on much longer" he answered and Thalia huffed a sigh in response _"very well, but be carful, lest you make things worse" _she said as Roy continued on.

Mikasa was deep in thought as she tried to process her emotions, so she didn't notice Roy walk up next to her "Mikasa" he greated and the girl jumped with surprise before looking up at the Rider and subconsciously shuffling a few inches away before casting her eyes back out to the forest with a frustrated glare "what is it?" she responded flatly, causing the Rider to sigh and lean on the railing "well I was hoping that I could help with whatever's bothering you. I know the others are in a tizzy, trying to figure out what to do" Roy answered.

Mikasa grimaced a little at that "well you can tell them to mind their own business, because I'm fine" she muttered and Roy looked to her with a frown "you are most certainly not "fine", and I don't need to guess why that is. It's obvious what has you so stress" he retorted and Mikasa nerowed her eyes in response as she looked up at him "than why are you sticking your nose into my problems!? Threre's nothing anyone can do about it!" she shot back in frustration but recoiled a little as Roy gave her a glare that radiated almost as much power and strength as before during training.

Roy averted his gaze however as he tried to calm himself down. The boy could tolerate much, but he had little patience for senseless anger. Now wasn't the time to loose his own temper though and he took a deep breath to collect his thoughts "why?" he finally spoke, causing Mikasa to look at him with confusion "why is Eren so important to you? Why is it so imperative that you become a Rider, simply to fallow him?" he asked with sincerity.

Mikasa was caught off guard by the question and would normally have rebuffed it, but she knew Roy was running sort on patients and did not want a repeat of their trining session today. But this was a deeply personal part of Mikasa's life that she had only shared twice with others. Once with Armin and the second with Scarlett, who she thought was just an animal at the time, and even then it wasn't the whole story. But, something about the sincerity in Roy's words also helped sway her and, after a long moment's hesitation, she sighed "it's…not something I like to talk about…and it's pretty gruesome" she tried to dodge question one last time but Roy just gave a humorless chuckle "Mikasa, if their is anyone in the world besides your friends who would understand gruesome and traumatizing pasts, it's me" he answered honestly.

Mikasa hesitated for another long moment as she tried to think of an excuse but eventually relented and averted her gaze from Roy, opting to look down at the Titans roaming the ground instead "it's so important to me because…because Eren means everything to me…he's the reason why I can continue living" she admitted.

There was another pause as Roy thought over Mikasa's words and could hear how hard it was for her to get them out, it was defiantly a concerning train of thought though "and why is that?" he finally asked and Mikasa gripped the wooden railing tightly as painful memories returned "because Eren saved my life" she answered.

Another round of silence fallowed but this time Roy didn't bother to brake it for some reason so Mikasa decided to continue "my parents were murdered and I was taken…" she said as she proceeded to tell him the whole story, from being kidnapped to Eren arriving and killing to first two, then him telling her the words that would forever be burned into her mind. Him telling her to fight and then her stabbing the last kidnapper in the heart through the back and then Eren rapping that precious scarf of her's around her neck and his family taking her in.

A long, tense silence, filled the air after Mikasa finished her story and she waited for Roy to respond in some way. To belittle Eren for his rash actions like his father had or to offer condolences as most would.

But nothing came…

Silence was Mikasa's only reply for a long time and the girl grew a little worried as she looked up at Roy but her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the look of absolute shock on the Rider's face as he stared vacantly out into space. This wasn't the usual shock she expected to see though, like when she told Armin what had happened. This was different…like someone reliving a painful memory of their own.

After a moment, Roy blinked a little bit of life back into himself and looked down "not again…please not again…" he muttered in english. Mikasa was very confused at this point and it only grew as Thalia walked out and rapped her neck around him like Mikasa had often seen Scarlett do when Eren was distressed.

Mikasa was starting to get worried for Roy and was about to go ask for help when "Mikasa" he finally said and she was a little taken aback when they locked eyes and a tear was trying to escape his "please don't give up" he requested criptically before looking down with sadness "please don't make the same mistake we did" he finished.

Mikasa's eyes widened in shock _wait, does he…has he been through the same thing? _she thought as the Rider fought to pull himself back togather "Roy…" Mikasa started hesitantly and the Rider looked back to her "what…what mistake are you talking about?…" she hesitantly asked.

Thalia growled lightly at her but clammed up and quickly looked to her Rider as they silently conversed.

After a moment, Thalia whimpered a little but let Roy go and offered him a leg to sit on as she laid down herself. Roy then took a breath as he alowed memories he had long since attempted to lock away, to flood back to the surface "I have fallen in love twice in this life of mine…and I've lost both of them" he began with a pain filled sigh and Mikasa was stunned for a moment at the revelation as the tables turned in their questioning "the second and ultimately true love of my life was Ari…an Elf if you can believe it and Vorlin's Rider" Roy contiued with a fond smile braking through for the briefest of moments before being drowned out by sadness "the first was Elizabeth".

* * *

[7 Years Ago - Alagaësia - Broddring Kingdom]

A young boy in raged clothing, ran through a forest, batting aside bushes and getting cut by a few thorns but it was hard to tell with the bruises and cuts that already covered his body. The boy eventually tripped and fell with a painful grunt.

The boy laid there for a moment, shaking in pain, anger and sadness, but he refused to let tears fall as he defiantly forced himself back to his feet, brushing away his crimson hair and opening two emerald green eyes.

A nine year old Roy, took a shaky breath to collect himself before taking in his surroundings. There was nothing but forest in every direction, with birds and bugs chirping away.

Roy let out a long exhale of relief when he didn't see the guards chaising after him or hear dogs tracking him. The exhale quickly turned into a wince though as he grabbed his bruised ribs and looked down at his beaten and bleeding body and a tear very nearly escaped, he refused to let it go though _I won't give him the satisfaction, even if he's not here to see it! _the boy thought bitterly, before staggering forward and sitting on a fallen log to catch his breath and ponder his situation.

Roy thought back to the man who did this to him and the guards that just stood there and ignored the beating he had received _and all for what!? Just because I spilled a drink on him!? _Roy thought with rage but he simply held it all in as he clenched his fists _no…that man hates me simply for being born _he thought as his rage began turning to sadness as he thought of what his mother was probably going through since he had run off, but it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. Roy was no stranger to beatings, and because of that, he knew exactly when it was about to go too far and he more then likely would have died had he not slipped away and ran.

Roy's sadness quickly turned to anger again as he thought of the man who's roof he was forced to live under, beating his mother in his place. The only reason why Roy wasn't charging back in a reckless and stupid attempt to save her, were the scars of failed past attempts, and the knowledge, his mother was somewhat protected. The man who had done this too him couldn't afford to hurt Roy's mother too bad or in ways that would show.

Still though, Roy's blood boiled at the thought of what was most likely happening and before he knew it, he had grabbed a rock and was tossing it up into the trees.

The rock hit a branch and knocked it loose and they both fell to the ground and Roy was immediately snapped out of his rage when he heard someone yell in pain, fallowed by a string of obscenities that even a drunken sailor would be ashamed of.

Years of experience with abuse, brought on by such raging men as the one who was now stomping his way through the forest, saved Roy's life as he quickly hid as the man came up to where Roy once stood "hay! Who's out there!?" The obviously drunken man yelled as Roy peeked out carefully and his fears only grew.

The man was tan skinned and wore leather armor that was stained red with old blood and a little that was still a little fresh by the looks of it. But more then that, the man looked half crazed with a rusted iron sword in his hand and with dirty, long brown hair and bloodshot, brown eyes.

Roy wasn't stupid. He knew right away what that man was.

A bandit.

A drunken bandit with blood running down his face from an injury Roy had caused _da__mn it, I am such an idiot _Roy cursed his raged indused stupidity. In his panic he had nearly run right into badits while out alone in the woods and now he had pissed them off.

Roy called upon all his skill and experience in hiding and sneaking, which was actually pretty impressive for a nine year old, and quietly made his way around the bandit to hopefully make his escape.

Roy made it a good distance from the inept bandit but his breath hitched in his throat as another came through the foliage and Roy quickly docked behind cover "hay, what the hell are doing out here you dunk idiot!?" the other, sober bandit, demanded.

This bandit was fair skinned, with blond hair and a short beard and blue eyes. He had a scar that ran from his right temple to his jawline and was wearing similar armor as the first one.

The first bandit looked to his comrade with anger "someone his me in the head!" he slurred and the other face palmed "a branch fell on yer' head ya' daft fool" the sober bandit chided, causing the two to fall into argument and Roy took the opportunity to carefully sneak around them _just a little bit further and I'm home free _Roy thought as sweat rolled down his brow "oh shut it ya' daft bastard! We gotta head back and make sure that girl we took on our last haul don't get loose!" the sober bandit ordered suddenly.

Roy stoped in his tracks as his eyes widened _they took someone captive _Roy thought as he glanced back at the still arguing bandits.

Roy gritted his teeth as he looked away and his upper half leaned forward to leave but his legs refused to move _come on, this is your chance to get away _he thought but still his legs wouldn't move _come on you fool, you can't do anything to help. You're just a weak little kid, you'd be better off finding a guard and telling them. _Roy chided himself and for anyone else that would be true, but not for Roy and he clinched his fists as he realized that the guards were most likely looking for him, and he knew all too well that they wouldn't listen him. The man whom he was forced to live under had made certain that no one would listen to Roy.

Roy heard the bandits starting to leave and gave a frustrated growl as his body trembled and before he knew it, his legs betrayed him and ran off after the bandits _Damn it! What am I doing!? _Roy cursed himself but continued running anyway, until he caught up with the bandits and slowed down to sneak properly as he fallowed them back to their camp.

It didn't take long before they reached the ramshackle camp, with a torn up and barely functional tent, a little fire that was dying down to a smolder as a charred rabbit hung over it on a stick and horses stood calmly tied to a tree. And finally, there was someone laying on their side and curled up in a ball with their hands bound behind their backs.

Roy couldn't get a good look at the person from where he was hiding but she looked beaten and ragged and the boy felt his blood boil at the sight of the drunk bandit walking up to the girl with a sadistic chuckle. The drunkard was stopped however, by a smack to the head from his sober counterpart "hay, what the hell!" the first bandit yelled while the other scowled at him "no touching the merchandise! It's a long was to Dras-Leona and she's only worth anything if she's intact!" the second bandit scolded.

Roy's breath caught in his throat though at hearing this. He knew of Dras-Leona, his "patron" had taken pleasure in telling him about the worst city in the land where he would sell Roy into slavery if he ever stepped out of line too far.

Any logic or reason that Roy had been clinging to in an attempt to convince himself to turn tail and run, went up in smoke as rage burned in him. He wasn't going to just stand around and let this continue but he needed a plan and he scanned the camp as he tried to come up with something. A smirk then grew on his face he formulated a plan and begin sneaking around the camp.

* * *

Half an hour later and the bandits were still oblivious to the kid running about in the shadows of their camp. The sober one was sitting over the girl, making sure she couldn't get away and that his partner didn't do anything stupid. Said other bandit was over releaving himself against the tree that the horses were tied to.

Everything was relatively quiet as the girl laid there with a blank expression on her tear stained face. She was so emotionally stressed that she was now numb to the world around her. She did snap out of it a little though when the horses suddenly reared back while letting out a panicked whine, before bolting off into the forest.

The bandit over the girl, jumped to his feet "what the hell did you do!?" he yelled at the drunken bandit "I didn't do nothin'!" He yelled back as the other ran up to the tree. He watched the horses go for a second before glaring at his partner "well the horses didn't untie themselves and run off!" he yelled back.

The drunk went to argued but was pinned to the tree with an arm shoved into his neck "SHUT YOUR TRAP! We don't have time for this, we need to catch the horses!" the sober bandit yelled before tossing the other in the direction the horses ran and the drunk glared back for a moment before running after their horses with the other.

The girl glanced in the direction the bandits left while still curled up. Her face was stil blank though and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about the bandits leaving, it wasn't like she could move with her arms and legs tied togather and to a tree. The girl did feel a flash of curiosity and confusion as she spotted a small stick with the end still smoldering from the fire, laying on the ground where the horses ran.

**SNAP**

The girl gasped slightly as she heard someone step on a twig behind her and she tucked herself further into a ball. She then heard a sound like a knife sawing against something for a moment before a rope snapped and then a hand fell on her shoulder.

The girl felt fear surge through her for a moment but the added stress proved to be too much for her and she just went limp and her face again became blank as she gave in to dispare "hay, are you ok?" a gentle voice whispered and the girl gasped a little with surprise. The voice sounded very young and far kinder then any of the bandits.

The girl hesitated for a moment before turning her head slowly to see who was behind her and she was surprised to see a boy around her age, crouched over her. What really caught her off guard though were his eyes.

Despite the boys beaten and bruised appearance and the rags he wore, those emerald eyes of his seamed to shine with so much kindness and compassion that in his place the girl monetarily saw her parents.

As for Roy, he was finally able to get a good look at the girl now. She had a somewhat rounded face and long, golden blond hair that was matted with blood a grime. Her skin was was a little pale, almost sickly so and cover with dirt and a bit of blood splattered across her face, thought the only injury he saw on the girl was a nasty bruse over her left, chocolate brown eye, so the blood was probably someone else's. As for her clothes, they consisted of a ripped and tattered green dress and her shoes were long gone, leaving her barefoot and her feet a little scraped up.

The look of dispare in the girl's eyes and the blank look on her face, broke Roy's heart and made his blood boil at the same time. He reigned in his emotions for the time being though as he set the girl up and started cutting her binds "it's going to be ok. I'll get you out of here" Roy whispered as he freeed the girl but she didn't respond at first her arms fell to her sides and he stared on freeing her legs.

Roy grimaced a little in response to the girl's silence "I'm Roy by the way, what's your name?" he asked, hoping to get her talking. The girl was silent for a moment as Roy contiued to cut the ropes "Elizabeth…" she finally answered as the ropes broke and Roy smiled a little as he looked up at her "nice to meet you Liz" he said and was happy to see the confused look pass over her face at the nickname he just gave her. Any reaction was better then just that blank face.

Roy brushes that train of thought aside though, as he focused on the bigger issue "come on, we need to get out of here before they come back" he said as he hoisted Elizabeth up, the girl just resumed blankly staring into nothing though as Roy quickly and carfulling walked her out of the camp "what's the point?…" she said numbly and Roy stopped in his tracks as he looked at her with wide eyes and they stood there for a moment in awkward silence.

Roy eventually composed himself though and his expression turned angry "what!? What do mean "what's the point!?" You want to live don't you!?" he whisper shouted at Elizabeth and the girl was at least slightly taken aback by his outburst but only for a fraction of a second and she turned her eyes to the ground "my parents tried to save me…told me to run while they fought the bandits off…but they died and I was caught…" Elizabeth explained numbly while Roy stood there, listening to her while keeping an eye out for the bandits.

Elizabeth's numb mask, never broke, as she stood there "all I did was drag them down and get them killed…it's all I've ever done for them, since I was born sickly…and now I'm dragging you down too…" she explained, secretly hoping Roy would leave and save himself.

Roy just stood there for a moment though, with a neutral expression. It quickly broke through and became one of anger as he grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and made her look at him "No! You listen to me! It doesn't matter if you were born sickly or heathy, highborn or lowborn, a lowly bastard or the bloody prince of the kingdom! Everyone deserves to live and be happy, no matter what anyone else may tell you!" Roy said with conviction and years of pent up anger, and this time Elizabeth's mask shattered as she looked at Roy with a gasp and wide eyes.

Roy contiued to stare intensity into Elizabeth's shocked eyes "life is cruel and people crueler…"he trailed off as memories of his horrible life of abuse, flashed through his mind, but his anger subsided slightly as the few good memories he had of his life with his mother, fallowed soon after "but it can also be beautiful…and it's that beauty, buried under all the pain and ugliness that makes life worth living" he said before his face hardened with conviction again "these are our lives! No one else's! So never say it's pointless or give them the satisfaction of thinking that they can take it from you" Roy finished.

Everything was quiet for a moment as Elizabeth stood there stunned. Eventually she opened her mouth to respond but stopped abruptly and both their eyes widened in fear as someone slowly clapped and they looked over to see a new bandit that Roy hadn't seen yet.

He was very large and muscular, and wearing banged up steel armor, as opposed to his comrades. He had a squared jaw with stubble and black hair, slicked back and piercing brown eyes.

The bandit chuckled as he contiued to slowly clap "nice speech there lad…were you a bit older and better armed, I might actually respect you a little" he said with a deep voice like gravel scraping togather "but I'm afraid life doesn't work like that…your life can be taken by anyone with half a mind and some proper steel" he said as his grin turned murderious and he drew his sword.

Roy and the bandit, held each other's gaze for a long moment before Roy tightened his grip on Elizabeth's shoulder "run" he said and bolted into the forest while dragging Elizabeth behind him and the bandit laughed as he chased after them.

* * *

**A/N - **

sorry to cut this chapter short but this isn't actually the whole thing. I originally intended it to include more but I was stumped and it was taking too long to post so I cut it in half and posted it. Hopefully I'll get the next part out soon.


	19. Chapter 19

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 19**

* * *

Roy was surprisingly strong and agile for a boy his age, being able to stay ahead of the bandit, who was weighed down by his armor. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was struggling to keep up and Roy had to put his arm under her's and practically carry her.

Roy was able to put a good distance between them and the camp but the bandit caught up to them when Roy turned to go around a tree and he callapsed as he was kicked with enough force to knock the wind out of him and Elizabeth yelled as she hit the ground, rolling a few feet away.

Elizabeth coughed as she pushed herself up onto her knees but then looked up with worry, when she heard Roy yell out in pain, and saw that the bandit had his boot, firmly planted on Roy's back and his sword to the boy's neck. The bandit laughed as he stood over Roy "nice try lad, but you didn't stand a chance in hell of gettin' away" he said before turning his almost amused gaze, to Elizabeth "and don't you bother runnin', if this kid couldn't get away, then a weak little lass like you ain't goin' nowhere" he warned, though he didn't appear very concerned about ether of them.

Elizabeth laid there stunned as she tried to figure out what she should do. Part of her brain was telling her to just submit, that there was nothing she could do. But some of that fire that Roy had stoked in her, was still burning a little and her addled mind was torn between the two.

Elizabeth's eyes flew to Roy as he gave a strangled gasp for air and he met her eyes with determination burning in his own "r-run" he chocked out, only to grimace as more pressure was applied to his back "that's enough out of you" the bandit growled but Roy only glared up at him before fixing Elizabeth with his intense stare again "i-it's you life…don't give it up…not matter what!" he forced out as more and more pressure was applied, to the point where he could barely breath and the bandit pressed his blade closer to Roy's neck "I said quiet!" the bandit ordered.

Elizabeth just sat there for a moment as she stared wide eyed at Roy, who contiued to glared defiantly up at the bandit _how?…how is he still going, even when there's no way to win? _she thought as she sat there helplessly and her life flashed before her eyes.

_"Weak"_

_"Feeble"_

_"Sickly"_

_"Useless"_

So many voices said in Elizebeth's memories as her miserable life was replayed for her _why now? Why am I being forced to relive all of this now? Haven't I already suffered enough!? Why is life so cruel!?_ Elizabeth all but screamed in her mind.

_"Life may be cruel, but it's the struggle that makes it worth while"_

Elizabeth froze as that particular memory passed through her mind and suddenly she was back home, sitting on her fathers lap while she cried.

Elizabeth's father was a big man but none of it was fat. The man was a coil of muscle under tanned and callused skin, with a chiseled jaw and blue eyes but his well trimmed hair and beard were the same shade of blond as Elizabeth's. He wore a simple shirt and trousers along with his boots.

The giant of a man, looked down at his daughter with worry as her crying devolved into a coughing fit and he gently rubbed her back. The size and health diferances between father and daughter was truly an odd sight to behold.

Eventually Elizabeth calmed down enough to get her coughing under control and he gave her back a soft and comforting pat "Elizabeth, it is true that the world is unfair to us all, especially those who have suffered like you" her father said with a gentle voice that betrayed his appearance and his daughter looked up at him with tear stained eyes "most of the strong look down upon the weak like they are lesser then them or as pray to used for their own gains" he said grimly but a smile soon took over his face "but the world also works on balance. For every action there is an equal and opposet reaction. For every evil, there is a good" he said and Elizabeth looked up at him with confusion and curiosity as he gave her a serious look "listen to me child. We all pay for our sins eventually, in this life and the next. So do not let your heart fester with anger over those who scorn and dismiss you, for they will pay for it one day, just as we all must pay for our sins and be rewarded for enduring such hardships" he said.

Elizabeth mulled over her father's words for a moment before responding "but why…if we all pay if we do wrong, then why do they still hurt me just for being born like this. Why do the strong always pray on the weak?" she asked and her father sighed "not all believe like we do, and many will refuse to accept the truth no matter what they see. But not all are like this" he said and Elizabeth looked back up to him with confusion "but you said the strong pray on the weak" she said and her father smiled "I said most of the strong but not all. Some will stand for the weak and it is they who are strongest, for it is not strength of the body that make's one great, but strength of the heart. The will to go on living, no matter what you are faced with!" He said with a passion that was contagious as his daughter's eyes seamed to shine with wonder.

Elizabeth's father then placed both of his hands on his daughter's shoulders and turned her to face him as he leaned down to be eye level with her "whatever happens in your life Elizabeth Janesdaughter, promise me this. Never give in to despair. If you cannot be strong of body then be so of heart and never give up. And if you find one who fights for the weak, then do not discard them as foolish, but latch onto their teaching and their unbreakable will, and never let go" he asked and with that Elizabeth was suddenly back in the woods, still as a stone and eyes wide as she watched Roy defiantly glare up at the bandit.

Shame suddenly overtook Elizabeth as her body trembled and she started to cry _dad, I'm so sorry I forgot my promise _she thought as she looked down to the ground and let the tears fall unabated.

Roy and the bandit both noticed Elizabeth's breakdown and paused their glaring match to look over at her. Roy felt his hopes shatter as he feared she may have been pushed too far and just snapped, while the bandit on the other hand just chuckled "looks like the lass knows her place" he said before looking back down at Roy "and I'll enjoy teaching you yours" he chuckled darkly as he moved his sword over Roy's face as he prepared to make a very painful cut.

"Eeerrrraaaahhh!!!"

The bandit didn't get the chance to go though with his plans though as the girl's sobbing turned into an enraged yell and he looked up with surprise, only to immediately clench his eyes shut in pain as Elizabeth ran at him and threw dirt in his face "aagghh! You bitch!" He screamed but before he could wildly swing his blade, Elizabeth smashed a rock into his hand, making his drop the sword.

Roy was admittedly stunned for a good thirty seconds as he watched in awe as the sickly girl somehow blinded and disarmed the bandit in a moment of devine intervention. The boy quickly snapped out of it though as Elizabeth fell back to the ground, having pushed herself past her body's limits, and he quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed her "come on!" He yelled as he carried her away.

Meanwhile Elizabeth was in a daze as Roy carried her away but she was suddenly brought back as Roy hastily set her down "what?…" she trailed off as she got her bearings and noticed they were at the tree Roy had attempted to run to before getting kicked to the ground, but why had they stopped and why was Roy just crouching there with his hand behind the tree as he stared down the bandit that had managed to clear his now bloodshot eyes enough to chase after them.

The bandit yelled as he ran at them "you're dead you little shits!" He cursed them but Roy stood his ground with a defiant glare. It changed to a smirk at the last second though as he dropped to the ground and pulled his hand back, yanking a rope he had pilfered from the bandit's own camp, loose and a tree limb with daggers tied to it, also stolen from the bandit's camp, came whipping around, right at the bandit's head.

The bandit had less then a second for his stinging eyes to widen in shock before the limb hit him and snapped loose and he fell to the ground.

Birds scattered at the loud snap of the tree limb and the thud of the bandit hitting the ground, but after that, everything went eerily quiet as Roy and Elizabeth both lay on the ground, waiting to see if the bandit would move.

The bandit then suddenly gave a gurgled cough, sending blood into the air. Roy then climbed to his feet to see the daggers lodged in the bandit's neck and blood pooling around him as he took gurgling breaths.

Roy stood there for a moment before walking up to the bandit with a dark look in his eyes and he picked up the bandit's heavy sword "I may be a kid, but I'm not stupid. I knew those two couldn't have been the only ones at that camp so I made sure to prepare for the worst" he explained to the dying bandit who stared up at Roy, not with fear, but just with utter disbelief.

Roy then held the sword over the bandit's head "I should probably just leave you to bleed out and die slowly" he said darkly before ramming the blade down with all his might though the bandits throat and spine, ending his suffering "but I'm not like you" Roy finished as he watched to life leave the bandit's eyes and was only vaguely aware of the blood the splattered across his face.

Roy just stood there for a long moment before letting the blade go but his hands still hovered over the hilt as they shook and he gave a thousand yard stare.

Roy then jumped as a hand grabbed his and he looked over to see Elizabeth giving him a sympathetic smile, wipping the blood off his face before giving him a hug.

Roy stood frozen for a moment before returning the gesture "thank you" he whispered and against all odds, Elizabeth chuckled a little as life came back to her eyes "aren't I the one who should be saying that?" she joked and Roy smiled as they broke the hug "come on, let's get out of here before the others get back" he said and Elizabeth smiled as he took her hand and lead her out of the forest and away from the dead bandit.

* * *

[Present Day]

"And so we made our way back to town from there. Liz told her side of the story and luckily enough the one person in town who would actually cared about what happed to me, was there to listen, so I managed to avoid getting in any further trouble and he took Liz in as one of his own and the guards were sent out the catch the rest of the bandits" Roy finished his story as he sat on his Dragon's leg with an emotionally exhausted look on his face.

Meanwhile, Mikasa just stared at Roy in complete shock. It was simply unbelievable how similar their pasts were and would have creeped Mikasa out if it wasn't already hitting some very deep wounds.

Mikasa knew the story wasn't over yet though, bacouse so far Roy had yet to elaborate on this mistake they made "so what happened next?" she reluctantly asked and Roy gave a haggard sigh "for the next few years she was my closest and only friend. She got healthier now that she was living in a highborn's house and we grew very close. But then…then a Dragon Rider came to town with eggs" he explained and Mikasa's eyes widened as she connected the dots "one didn't hatch for her" she muttered to herself and Roy gave a sad nod "it drove a wedge between us that only grew as time went…and then when it came time for me to finally leave that hell hole I was forced to call home, with my mother, I stopped by her house to try and mend things but…"Roy trailed off for a second as he grimaced "we had an argumaent…said things I know I regret and hope she does…and our friendship ended" Roy explained with a defeated expression "then the traitor had his Forsworn destroy anything and everything I might have cared for in their hunt for us" he finished with a clenched fist as Thalia nuzzled him with a whine.

Roy scratched under Thalia's chin as he reined in his emotions "we were still too young to say that we were in love or anything but had things gone diferantly…" Roy trailed off "I mean I did find Ari afterwords but Liz will always be the biggest "what if" in my life" he finished and took a moment before giving Mikasa a serious and pleading look "please Mikasa, no matter what happens, wether or not an egg hatches or how thick skulled Eren can be, pleases don't give up…Don't let him become another "what if" like we did" he asked.

Mikasa was silent for a long moment as she processed everything and she glanced back inside at Eren, Armin and the Dragons, still trying to figure out how to help her. Mikasa then took a deep breath before looking at Roy "thank you, and I won't give up" she promised, to which Roy gave a relieved sigh "thank you" he said before standing up "now if you'll excuse us, I think me and Thaila need to take a nice long flight to relax a little" Roy said as he hopped up on Thiala saddle.

Mikasa hesitated for a moment as the Dragon approached the edge of the balcony, getting ready to take off "Roy" she called out and they paused to look back at her as she hesitated again "if…you ever need to talk about this stuff again…you know where to find me" she said and Roy just stared at her for a moment before smiling "and you me" he replied before he and Thalia took to the sky.

Mikasa watched them go for a moment before taking a breath to steel her nerves and walking back inside to the others.

* * *

"I don't know, maybe we could-" Eren whispered but stopped abruptly as Mikasa aproched them "hay Mikasa" Armin greeted with an awkward smile as his Dragon, still roosted atop the boy's head, watched her with curious eyes. Armin's own eyes widened slightly though as he noticed the change in Mikasa's mood.

Eren on the other hand…

"Hay Mikasa…I know things are kind of stressful right now but-ow!" Eren was interrupted by Mikasa flicking his forehead "quit worrying so much Eren, or you'll turn your hair even more gray" she joked with her usual monotone voice as Eren's silver streak, fell over his eye from the flick. The two boy's just looked at Mikasa with surprise, but they soon smiled _looks like she's back to her old self _Armin thought as Mikasa cracked a very small smile before walking further in.

The two boys smiled as they watched her go but before they could fallow, Eren felt a spike of smugness intrude on his mind and turned to his Dragon _"told you so" _she teased him and Eren rolled his eyes before following Mikasa and Armin inside.

Things were starting to get back to normal.

* * *

**A/N - **

Firstly a BIG thank you to the reader who pasted several reviews though the day and especially thank you for giving suggestions for names, you have no idea how much trouble that's been giving me. Also yes, in this story the worlds of Inheritance Cycle and Attack on Titan exist in the same universe, just vastly separated land masses. Further elaboration in a chapter in the far future. And as for this story eventually going to the other side in the climax, that will depend on wether or not I can get my hands on the books.

Secondly there is an issue with reviews that other authors are having troubles with, where reviews only appear in emails, so please keep any reviews sort for the time being so that the full message will show up in said emails.

And lastly I have an anoucment. I've had a poll up on my page for a while now where people can vote if that want me to continue only posting one story at a time and so far it is still yes. However, I have an unholy number of older stories I have yet publish so I am going to make a compromise. I will attempt to make a forum where I will put up the ideas I don't want to just abandon for other authors to pick up and I will also be making some side story one-shots of this story. Some will be cut scenes or recreations of the original scenes from before the rewrite, but most will be non-canon, what if sinarios.

Ok that's it for me. Thanks for reading my story and hopefully I'll get back to posting more consistently.


	20. Chapter 20

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 20**

* * *

**Crack-BOOM!**

Thunder rolled over the air as lightning struck in the distance and the winds howled as rain fell down in sheets, pelting the leaves and bark of the treehouse.

All the while, Eren and Armin sat on the couch and stared into the fireplace with near petrified expressions and an aura around them that sang doom, while Scarlett's head was in Eren's lap and her wings covering them both, and Armin was clutching his own Dragon tightly to his chest as the poor thing whimpered and buried it's head in his shirt in fright.

And then there was Mikasa, staring at them in disbelief "seriously guys?…it's just a storm and Roy already told us that the tree is warded against lightning strikes" she deadpanned, to which the others turned their wide eyed stares to her and Mikasa could have sworn the air around them darkened as that anime style aura, intensified.

Eren then swallowed hard and gave a smile void of any joy "i-it's not us" Eren explained with a shaky voice and Armin nodded in agreement. Mikasa just blinked in confusion though as she tried to understand, but then another lightning strike rang out much closer and this time the tree shook a little but not because of the lightning and a Draconic yelp accompanied it. Mikasa then looked over her shoulder to see Thalia with a barely hidden expression of fear as she hunkered down a little and Roy stood ramrod strait, next to her with a similar expression.

Mikasa just contiued to stare in confusion for a moment before her eyebrows shot up as she remembered that Dragon Riders can feel their partners pain and emotions, especially when stressed, and she looked back to her friends as Eren rubbed Scarlett's head soothingly and Armin winced as his Dragon's claws dig into his chest a little "yah, apparently Dragons don't like storms…especially when they're high up in the air" Armin explained with the same shaky voice and smile of doom, that Eren had. Scarlett gave a weak growl in response _"I fear nothing" _she weakly protested with wounded pride, only to contradict herself with a yelp as more lightning struck.

Mikasa just stared for a second as she processed that and in hindsight she supposed it made sense for a race like them to be scared of thunderstorms and how it would be bad if they got caught flying out in it or simply standing out in it for that matter if they were older.

Roy then came up and plopped down on the couch "well, I'm not getting anything done today" he complained as he suppressed the nurvessnes he was feeling as best he could. Mikasa was about to ask why, when the floor rumbled as Thalia laid down next Roy and whined a little while laying her massive snout at his feet.

Mikasa, while now actually almost relived that an egg had yet to hatch for her, felt a bit like the odd one out as she looked the others over "are Dragons usually scared of storms?" she asked and Thalia seamed to turned back to her old self for a moment as her pride took over _"I enjoy the rain just fine…when I'm on the ground…and in a cave and not this rickety tree" _she said, her voice and face becoming less and less sure of herself as she spoke and Mikasa had to admit it was a bit disconcerting when the tree swayed in the winds a little.

Roy sighed as he rubbed his face "well seeing as the rain has put a damper on things, does anyone have any idea how they want to pass the time?" he asked as he tried to take his fellow Riders and the Dragons' minds off the storm.

The others hummed as they thought it over "well back home we used to get together and read out of Armin's book on the outside, when we didn't have anything else to do" Eren said and his friends smiled fondly at the memory "yah, it's a shame I couldn't take it with me but we would have just lost it along the way if I had" Armin replied with a bit of a sad expression but then his face lit up as he looked over at Roy "but what about your home Roy. You talked about it a little when we first met but that's it. I'm sure there's all kinds of stuff there!" he said.

Roy blinked with surprise at the question "Alagaësia? Well I suppose they're are a few things but aside from Vroengard and a single trip to Ellesméra during training, I hade never even traveled beyond my old home town, and the only real difference between this land my old town is it being a little bit colder here" Roy explained, his words did little to dissuade the kids eagerness to here of his homeland, and so with a sigh, Roy allowed himself to get lost in memories of happier times. He told them the basics about his mother kingdom but was careful to avoid talking about his former home. Armin and Mikasa actually surprised him here as they helped steer the conversation away from that topic, apparently remembering what little they had gleaned and how sensitive he was about it, to which he was grateful. He told them about life on Vroengard and nearly busted out laughing at the look on their faces when he told them about the giant snails that were indigenous to the island and apparently very delicious to a Dragon. He then Told them about he and Thalia's brief flight over the desert on their way to the Elven kingdom and then the beautiful forest that comprised said kingdom.

As Roy continued his tails of his homeland, the group slowly began to tune out the thunderstorm as the stories become less of just facts about the land and more tails of all the shenanigans Roy and Thalia got into with their friends Brom and Saphira. Then the kids started cutting in with tails of their own.

By the time the first hour had passed, they were all laughing at each other's stories and the Dragons had actually calmed down substantially, not that they didn't still cling to their Riders though, especially Armin's infant Dragon.

Eren laughed and wiped a tear from his eye as he finished up his most recent tail "I swear, the look on Hannes' face when he found out…" he trailed off as the other laughed with him "yah that's our Hannes for you" Armin added and Roy rubbed his chin as he chuckled along with them "sounds like he was good friend. A terrible solder and a drunk but a good man at heart" he commented while and the others nodded while growing concerned and wishful expressions "yah, I do wonder if he made it to Wall Rose though" Eren admitted.

Roy rubbed the back of his neck while glancing down at Thalia "well, actually me and Thalia will have to head to the Wall here in a few weals for supplies. We could look for him and anyone else if you like" he offered and the kids smiled in response "really, that's be amazing thanks" Eren said but Roy waved it of with a smile "it's not a problem, just tell me what he looks like" he said and the kids eagerly gave his description but by the time they finished, Roy was staring at them with wide eyes "uh, Roy?" Armin started with concern before Roy slapped himself in the face and started laughing at himself "I can't believe it took me this long to realize it, I must be loosing my mind" Roy mutated.

The kids just looked at each other with confusion for a moment before looking back to Roy and he shook his head "ever since we met you three, I've had this nagging feeling that I've see you before but I couldn't place it until now" he explained which only brought up more questions "wait, how could you have already seen us? We had never met before you brought us here" Mikasa asked and Roy smile "because when we first started searching for Scarlett's egg, we stopped at Wall Rose and since I couldn't understand the language at the time, I probed the minds of the people there and I saw you in Hannes' memories" Roy explained.

The kids all looked at Roy with surprise but then smiled "so Hannes made it to Wall Rose!?" Eren asked with excitement and Roy nodded "yes, he wasn't in the bast condition though, apparently he thought you had all died and all I was getting from him was a memory of you during the breach" Roy explained and the kids mood seamed to dampen a little bit but they were still clearly happy that Hannes was still alive.

Roy coughed into his hand to try and brake the somewhat awkward silence that fallowed "anyway, is there anyone else you want me to look for?" he asked and the kids looked to each other for a moment "well, do you think you could look for my dad. He was heading for the interior for work so he might still be alive" Eren asked and Roy nodded "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him. Is there anyone else?" he asked but the kids just shook their heads "we didn't really have that many close friends aside from each other and any family we might still have out there, we weren't close enough with to know who they were" Armin told Roy and the Rider nodded. It was a little sad that that didn't have anyone else waiting for them, but Roy could understand and relate to their situation, so he let the matter be.

A slightly somber silence, settled over the group on that note but Armin saw fit to brake it this time before their minds could wonder back to the storm "hay Roy, I've been meaning to ask you something" he started and Roy hummed in acknowledgement, prompting Armin to continue "well, you see when we first started learning magic, mine was yellow, but then after bonding with my Dragon…" Armin paused to lift up his hand while speaking a light spell and a small orb of green light, floated there above his palm "ever since then my magic has been green" he finished and Roy nodded "a Rider's magic always matches the color of their Dragon's scales so your's naturally changed once you bonded" he explained.

Armin's eyebrows rose with intrigue as he dismissed the spell "so your's was different too before Thalia hatched?" he questioned but Roy just busted out laughing for a second before reining himself in "I'm sorry it's just…well magicians are already pretty rare among human and I didn't even have a formal education of any kind before Thalia hatched for me, so I don't know if my color was any different or not" Roy explained and Thalia lifted up her head _"indeed, and those who practice magic among humans are already slated to become court mages and such and are thus not normally presented before Dragon Eggs" _she explained before giving a thoughtful hum _"among Elves it is beloved that the color of a person's magic will already match the Dragon they are meant to be bonded with, but Elves are already much closer to magic and Dragons so there is no way to confirm this among Humans, and that is even if it is true among elves"_ she finished.

Armin smiled as he absorbed to information like a sponge but Mikasa grew a thoughtful expression as she looked down at her hand. Her magic had been grey and there was a grey egg among them. Mikasa quickly banished this train of thought though. She had already wasted enough time stressing over wether or not an egg would hatch and it had caused tension between her and her friends and she wouldn't let that continue to come between them, not after hearing what it had done to Roy.

And so Mikasa turned her attention back to her friends as they got back to swopping stories as the rain came down around them and she couldn't help but smile at the scene. It felt odd to be doing something so normal for a change after everything they had learned and been though, but it felt good to just have fun and be with her friends and a rare, genuine smile, graced her lips as part of her old, innocent persona the hand somehow managed to survive through everything, grazed the surface of her mind as she felt real happiness for the first time since arriving here.

* * *

A/N - Amazing how waking up to rain hitting your roof can inspire you to write.

Sorry that this one is kinda sort, especially with how long the wait between chapters has been but I already have an idea of how I want the next one to go, so here's hoping.

And I finally got around giving this story cover art. I don't own it but it was royalty free.

Also, I looked up the timeline for Inheritance Cycle and calculated up the time between the Fall and the beginning of the books as 104 years. I would just like to know if any of you can confirm this because it will change up my plans for the story if this is accurate.

And by the way, this story has hit 4,000 views so thank you for reading and for all the reviews so far and good luck dealing with the virus if you have to go out.

I promise to work on the side stories I promised once I get past the next chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N - **Spelling errors in the previous chapter have been fixed. I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get on those but I usually wright at night when my brain is mushy and playable.

Anyway, here's the next chapter, on time for a change.

Happy reading everyone.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 21**

* * *

~Day 31~

~Well, today is the day~

~It has been two weeks since the kids were presented before the eggs and one has yet to hatch for Mikasa~

~I am admittedly less concerned for her mental state should an egg not hatch, now that I have had the chance to talk to her and help her though it, but on a personal level, I do hope that one decides to hatch. These kids have already suffered enough as it is and the last thing they deserve is to be ripped apart by this~

~On a lighter note, Scarlett is now four weeks old and apparently with all the training and stress over Mikasa, Eren has forgotten the significance of this, which I look forward to reminding him of today~

Roy set the pen down and closed his book with a sigh. He then glanced down at the kids on the ground floor. Eren was exercising with Scarlett, trying to get his strength up and Armin was absorbed in a book on magic while he simultaneously held a magical light over his off hand to practice how long he could keep it up. It still amazed Roy how Armin took to magic like a fish to water and how much he devoted himself to studying whatever subject Roy gave him. Though Roy's admiration was somewhat diminished by the combination of cuteness and humor that was the baby Dragon sitting on Armin's head, which was apparently the little reptiles favorite place to be when he wasn't sniffing everything in reach.

Roy's mood took a dive though, as he looked to the last of the kids, who was practicing a routine of sword motions that Roy had taught her, but her mind obviously wasn't on her work as she kept glancing over at his and Thalia's room, waiting and hoping for an egg to hatch.

Roy cast his eyes over in the direction of the eggs as well, and Thalia who was looking over them _"anything?" _he asked his Dragon, who gave a sad hum _"no, nothing" _she answered and Roy gave a sigh before looking over the room again. They may have hid it well but Roy could tell they were all worried _well, maybe I can at least help lift Eren and Scarlett's spirits _Roy thought to himself as he started making his way down "hay Eren!" He called out and the boy stopped mid sit-up as he and his Dragon, who was holding his feet down, looked to him "yah?" he answered and Roy smiled "think you can give me a hand with something?" he asked and Eren nodded as he got up and started walking over to him.

Roy went ahead and made his way over to the little workshop he had sung out of the tree _"you're getting better at speaking their language" _Thalia suddenly chimed in and Roy hummed as he thought it over _I suppose I am_ he thought. He still had a thick accent but he sentences we're getting smoother.

Roy brushes this train of thought aside as he opened the door to the small workshop and Eren caught up with him "so what do you need help with?" he asked but Roy simply chuckled "you'll see" he answers cryptically, much to the boy's confusion. Eren's attention was quickly pulled to the room it's self though as he entered. He and the other kids, hadn't really ever been in here yet, not that it was off limits or anything like that, it just never came up and they had been pretty busy with training. There were shelves lined with basic tools and material and even some fabrics. But what really caught Eren's attention was the half dismantled set of O.D.M. Gear, sitting on the work bench.

Eren gasped slightly upon seeing it "wow, you have O.D.M. Gear!?" he said with surprise. Roy looked over at Eren with confusion for a moment, before following his gaze "oh, so that's what it's called. Yah I've been trying to figure out how it works but between how much more advanced it is then anything from back home and trying to find Scarlett's egg and now training you guys, I've had to put that project on hold" Roy explained.

Eren couldn't help but stare at the O.D.M. with an almost dreamy expression as he couldn't help imagining how he might have trained to use it in another life. But then again if Roy could figure it out, then maybe he still could one day.

Eren was snapped out of his fantasy by Roy tapping his shoulder "come on, help me with this" he said as he stood on the other side of a bundle of leather straps and padding. Eren quickly moved to the other side and helped lift it up and carry it outside "so what is this thing anyway and where are we taking it?" Eren asked with a bit of strain in his voice but Roy just chuckled again "you still don't remember huh?" he said and Eren arched a confused eyebrow at him, eliciting another chuckled "right next to Scarlett will be fine" he finally answered as they moved over next to the equity curios Dragon.

The two let it fall to the ground and Eren whipped his brow as Roy smacked the dust from his hands "as for what it's for, I made it for once Scarlett was four weeks old" he said and the bonded pair looked at him with confusion _"what are you talking about? Why would-" _Scarlett paused mid sentence as her eyes widened with realization _"wait, you mean?" _she trailed off with excitement and Thalia decided to walk up and join them _"yes, it is time my hatchling" _she answered for Roy and Scarlett gave a happy roar, gaining everyone's attention "what's going on?" Mikasa asked as her and Armin, still with his Dragon on his head, gathered around.

Eren crosses his arms with an impatient frown "that's what's I'd like to know" he muttered. Normally he'd be willing to endure Roy's occasional cryptic teasing, but that changed once his Dragon was in on it and not revealing anything. The older Rider just smiled though "it's a saddle Eren" he said but the boy just tilted his head in confusion "a saddle? Why would-" Eren mimicked his Dragon's earlier reaction as it suddenly dawned on him and he gasped before looking between the saddled and his Dragon and taking note of how much she had grow, now at the size of a small horse.

Roy laughed a little at the boy "now you get it! Come on, I'll show you how to put it on" he said and Eren nodded vigorously as Roy unfolded the saddle and walked him through strapping it to Scarlett, though the Dragon didn't help much as she pranced with excitement and the others observed with smiles.

It took about fifteen minutes in total to get the saddle strapped down comfortably and snugly and for Roy to check that it was secure. Now they were all standing at the entrance with the two flight worthy Dragons lined up and Roy standing by Scarlett, ready to help Eren up into the saddle. The boy just stood there for a second though as he looked over his Dragon with her new saddle, ready to take flight and he took a deep breath before walking up to Scarlett and climbing up on the Dragon's back.

Eren immediately felt a rush go up his spine as he settled into the saddle and he could tell Scarlett felt it too, it just felt right to be up on her back. He was so caught up in the feeling that Eren almost missed Roy helping him strap himself to the saddle before walking over to his own Dragon.

Roy climbed his own Dragon's considerably larger saddle but gave Eren and Scarlett a moment as Eren felt the grooves and stitches of the saddle and felt the rhythmic rise and fall of his Dragon's back. Scarlett then looked back at him _"ready to feel true freedom?" _she asked and Eren smiled as he gripped the handles of the saddle tightly. Eren did spare one last look back at his friends though and a ping of guilt flashed though him upon seeing Mikasa, but the smile she flash him helped beat it back down as they waved and nodded to him with smiles. Eren then looked up at Roy who gave him a nod and Eren turned forward again to look his Dragon in the eye "let's do this" he said and she gave happy roar _"then hold on tight" _Scarlett warned as she stood up and Eren gripped the saddled tighter and instinctively leaned forward.

Eren felt his heart start racing faster and faster as Scarlett stood and stretched her wings. Then, like an arrow from a bow that had been drawn for far too long, the young dragon shot forth and out of the tree "WHOAAAAAAAAA!"Eren couldn't help but scream as Scarlett dive-bombed with Thalia hot on her tail. But then the Dragon unfurled her wings as they drew closer to the ground and Eren's screams turned from that of terror to that of joy as they suddenly pulled up and gained altitude.

Scarlett roared and Eren laughed as they bobbed and weaved though the trees at high speed and Eren relished the rush of adrenaline and the feeling of the wind pelting his face, even as his stomach lagged behind. Then Scarlett started going up higher and higher, braking the tree line and continuing to climb until they grazed the clouds and suddenly the rush and adrenaline gave way to awe and Eren gave the widest smile he had in a long time, as he gazed out at the beautiful landscape, complimented by a rainbow from the previous day's storm _this is amazing! _Eren though and Scarlett hummed below him _"told you" _she commented as Thalia and Roy, came up beside the two as they continued to take in the atmosphere and the rush of the wind.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the tree, Armin and Mikasa continued to watch them fly with smiles as they heard Eren laugh like a madman until they were out of sight. The Dragon on Armin's head gave a tiny roar before jumping off Armin's head with his wings out, as if he wanted to join the other Dragons in the sky and Armin panicked for a moment as he scrambled to catch the hatchling. Armin gave the baby Dragon a less then amused look as he held him but it quickly broke as the Dragon turned on the puppy-dog eyes and Armin gave a defeated sigh "fine, you can practice flying, but do it inside the tree" he said and the young Dragon yipped happily as Armin started carrying him back into the tree.

Armin paused for a moment to look back at Mikasa though "hay Mikasa…" he called out and she turned to face him with her usual mask "I'm fine Armin, you go ahead" she reassured him. Armin hesitated for a moment though. He and Eren had gotten good at seeing through that mask of her's in the time they'd known her, at least when it matter and he could tell she was still a little upset but not as bad as she had been. The Dragon in his arms protested the delay and Armin gave a reluctant sigh "well you know where to find me if you need anything" he said before turning back to his Dragon with a smile as he carried the hatchling further in and Mikasa stayed behind, watching for Eren and Scarlett as they occasionally flew into view.

Armin walked about a third of the way up the steps to the upper level as he held his excited Dragon "ok now be careful with the landing" he warned the hatchling who snorted in acknowledgement, but Armin didn't need to be bonded to the little Dragon to tell he wasn't really paying attention. Never the less, Armin held up the baby Dragon as he snapped out his wings with a light toss, the Dragon started gliding to the ground with a happy little roar.

Unfortunately, the little hatchling didn't have very good control over where he was going and Armin saw where his, not quite strait, flight path, was taking him "no wait, not in there! That's Roy and Thalia's room!" he called out before racing down after the little Dragon.

The Dragon landed with a light thump and his back end was thrown in the air slightly as his belly slid against the floor. The Dragon quickly jumped back to his feet though with a happy hum.

**CRACK!**

The hatchling's attention immediately snapped deeper into the room as his more sensitive ears, picked up on a sound the two-legs had missed, and as was usual for this particular Dragon, his curiosity got the better of him as he pounced further in "hay, where'd you go!?" Armin called out as he made it to the dragon sized entrance to the room, pushing the leafy vines that formed a curtain between it and the rest of the tree away.

Armin glanced around the dark room with anxiety. It wasn't like Roy's room was off limits or anything but it was still his and Thalia personally space and Armin didn't like intruding in it without permission "come on, we shouldn't be in here!" he called to his Dragon and heard a chirp in response but no Dragon was forthcoming. Armin gave an exasperated sigh as he felt his Dragon's curiosity flowing off him _if curiosity killed the cat then this Dragon will be the death of me _Armin halfheartedly joked to himself as he followed their link further in while casting a light spell to see better, the orb of light shining over his palm and he cupped his hand and aimed his palm so it shined somewhat like a flashlight.

Armin continued to fallow his link and the sound of chirping while shining his green tented light to the floor in front of him until he came to the other side of the bed, where the eggs were kept and found the Dragon sitting in something "there you are. What do thing you're doing wandering in here like that? And what are you sitting in?" he asked, as the Dragon chirped at him and actually looked a little sheepish under his scolding.

As Armin got closer and shined his light on the Dragon he felt sudden surge of panic when he noticed that what the Dragon was sitting in, looked a little like a broken bowl "oh no, you didn't brake something did you!?" He said with worry as he rushed over, but as he picked his Dragon up, he felt something slimy on him and he noticed that the thing was too thin to be a bowl "what is this?" he pondered aloud as he set the Dragon down and picked up what he had been sitting in "wait this looks like a-" Armin cut himself off with a gasped as he realized what it was he was holding.

* * *

Mikasa was sitting at the entrance to the treehouse as she gazed up at Eren, soaring through the air with Scarlett and as much as she hated herself for it, she was envious of them and a little sliver of her depression came creeping back to haunt her.

Eren and the others may still be hopeful but by this point Mikasa had excepted the truth for what it was. Life was cruel and she wasn't going to become a Rider, she had excepted that. It didn't make it sting any less but still.

Mikasa took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and remember her talk with Roy _I won't give up, even if this is my fate_ she thought to herself before opening her eyes again and looking back up towards Eren. So caught in own her introspection was she, that Mikasa didn't notice the squeaks and chirps behind her _I won't let go, no matter how cruel the world is _she though with determination as she stared intently into the sky.

**SQUEAK!**

Mikasa gave an amused sigh, thinking Armin's Dragon was behind her "come on, you know Armin-" Mikasa froze up as she turned around and her eyes widened to the size of plate as her jaw came unhinged at what she saw behind her.

* * *

Eren had only three words to describe what he was feeling at the moment _this is Freedom _he thought as they flew high up in the clouds and he felt Scarlett's wings beat in a strong, rhythmic pattern. He could already tell this would be like drug to him from now on. He was so high in it right now that he didn't even care about the cold winds biting at his face and body through his thin shirt. He would need to start warring thicker clothing or learn some wards to stave off the cold in the feature.

Scarlett glanced back at Eren as they circled back around with Thalia _"there is nothing else like it, is there?" _she said and Eren nodded with a smile "no there isn't. I almost never want to leave it" he admitted as he basked in the open air and reached up to stoke a cloud as they passed. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Except for maybe Mikasa screaming at the top of her lounges in agonizing pain. A sound so foreign to Eren that his brain almost didn't believe it actually happened as he sat there frozen in the saddle with wide eyes.

After a moment though, Eren snapped out of it with a gasp as he, Roy and the Dragons, turned their gazes down to the treehouse "MIKASA!" Eren yelled out as they all dived for the tree.

The Dragons quickly came in for a landing and the Riders waisted no time in hopping off and rushing to Mikasa, who was passed out on the floor. Eren did have to unstrap himself though, which gave Roy a head start. Once he was down though, he heard Thalia yelp and freeze up along with everyone else.

Eren couldn't help but stare in bewilderment as Roy and Thalia both stood frozen in place and then he noticed Armin standing there frozen as well as he held his Dragon with his moth hanging open _what the heck are they just standing around for!?_ Eren mentally yelled as he ran to Mikasa's side and went to his knees next to her.

Eren looked her over and felt her forehead. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with her so why was she out cold "_my stars!" _Scarlett suddenly called out in shock and Eren glanced at her in confusion as she was now standing there frozen too _what the heck is-_

**SQUEAK!**

Now it was Eren's turn to freeze up momentarily as he looked down to see a scaly little tail, sticking up from behind Mikasa and soon after a head of midnight black scales and equally black eyes with four black nubs for horns, shot up.

Eren stared for a long moment before a wide grin stretched across his face as the little Dragon hoped up on top of Mikasa, showing it's already massive wingspan that dragged the ground, with light grey dots speckled across them like stars on a night sky, with a similar speckled pattern along it's belly and up the bottom of it's neck and around it's cheeks a little, it didn't have any spines down it's back yet though.

**SQUEAK!**

Eren'a grin disappeared as another squeak rang out…from behind Mikasa again, and another head popped up and this time, Eren allowed his jaw to drop too as he finally understood what caused the others to stove up like they did _two of them!? _he thought with disbelief.

The second hatchling was covered in grey scales as it crawled up next to the other one. This one's wings weren't nearly as big as the other, but they were thicker with scales then any of the other Dragons and actually seamed a bit heavy, with black stripes running down the length of the wings and down the spine from the crown of the head, which already had spikes growing along with four horns like the first.

There was a thud as Roy fell to his knees next to Eren and carefully lifted Mikasa's hands, to reveal two silver marks on each palm "I…I can't believe it…"he muttered and Eren turned his gaze up to Roy "I thought you said Riders couldn't bond to more then one Dragon?" He asked and Roy shook his head "I said Riders who are already bonded were exempt, not that a Rider couldn't be bonded to two Dragons, but for it to actually happen…this is such a rare thing that even before the fall, I'm not sure if there was even a livening pair-…" Roy paused to think over the terminology "trio?…well, you get the idea" he finished as the others seamed to get their nerve back and gathered around.

Eren then looked back down at the two hatchlings as they sat on Mikasa's chest and stomach. The grey one sniffing at her face while the black one was content to just lay down on her stomach while giving a yawn.

Then, as the shock wore off, Eren gave the second biggest smile of the day before thrusting his hands in the air with a triumphant laugh that seamed almost contagious as the other started smiling and the Dragons gave happy roars.

Roy then picked Mikasa up carefully and cared her to her room, which he recently finished and set her down to rest and recover. Mikasa was a Dragon Rider now, they all were, and the others followed with happy smiles, exited for her to awaken.

But Roy's smile hid his worry as he glanced over at Thalia and she gave a subtle hum of agreement. They could no longer pass this off as coincidence. This was the third time the bonding process had knocked one of them unconscious, even if this time was different from most others, and they would need to investigate.

But that could wait until after Mikasa awoke. They couldn't really examine her without her consent and besides, there was no reason to dampen the mood when everyone was so happy after weeks of stress.

Everyone was happy, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

* * *

**A/N - **

Finally! I've been waiting to write this one for a while now, and now all of them have Dragons.

Now I would just like to say that I'm not just B.S.ing some Riders being bonded to two Dragons. To my knowledge, it is cannon for the books, just extremely rare.

Also this is another big mile marker for me as this story is now past everything I had outlined before the rewrite and it has vastly changed since the original idea, but for the better I think. I do feel the ending of this chapter might have been a little weak, but I didn't want it to stretched out another moth before posting.

Anyway, please leave your thoughts on the story so far. Reviews for the site may still be messed up but I still get it in E-mail. Thanks for reading everyone.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N- **Hello everyone and sorry for the wait. Now I know I said I would work on the side stories and I did in fact start writing it but as luck would have it, the internet was a bit on the fritz that night and the app wouldn't upload the chapter, meaning I have to re-write it…again…

…

Yah, I'm starting to think this story is cursed or something.

Anyway, until I can rewrite it, I'm going to replace it with a previously cut scene that was already written out but I had forgotten even existed. I would like to say through, that the side stories will always be second to the main one and if I can't balance them out then I will drop it in favor of this one.

Anyway, the first of the side stories should be up now and here's chapter twenty two. Happy reading everyone.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 22**

* * *

Pain and darkness.

Those infuriatingly familiar sensations were all Mikasa's mind could register for a moment before the darkness mercifully overtook the pain.

But then as the darkness receded, another pain become apparent to her. Not the same burning and agonizing pain that made her pass out but more of an ache in her mind like her skull was stuffed passed it's capacity to hold her brain.

Mikasa groaned as he squeezed her eyes shut against the pain _what happened? _she thought but that only seamed to make her headache worse as it felt like something was trying to force it's way into her head in response. Mikasa was still groggy and confused but on an instinctive levels that had been drilled into her by Roy and fostered by the girl's natural aptitude for combat, she recognized this ache as feeing similar to the mental attacks Roy had used on her during training and she managed to beat it back to a more manageable dull ache.

Mikasa sighed in relief as she finally was able to get her senses about her and opened her eyes to find she was laying on her bed and covered by her blankets "ugh…what happened?" she muttered as she reached up to grab her aching head.

Mikasa quickly noticed a weight on her chest and stomach though and upon feeling a sharp pain there through her sheets, propped herself up with a scowl, ready to tear whatever was stabbing into her to shreds.

Mikasa froze up immediately though as she saw two baby Dragons on her, starring each other down with arched backs and growling at each other.

Mikasa's jaw promptly dislocated it's self as she stared wide eyed at the two. Then she felt her odd migraine return and suddenly she remembered everything. She remembered looking back at the two hatchlings and stretching her hands out to them before pain exploded up both her arms and burned it's way into her spine.

Mikasa blinked herself back to reality and pulled her jaw back into place before looking down and slowly turning her palms over to see two silver marks.

Mikasa just sat there and stared for a moment as she processed everything _I…I'm really… _she trailed off with a blank stare before a chocked sound escaped her throat, prompting the two hatchlings to stop growling at each other and look at Mikasa.

Mikasa then broke out into an uncharacteristic but overjoyed laughter as her lips curled into a smile. The laughter quickly died down but her smile didn't so much as flicker as she looked to the two baby Dragons.

Her Dragons.

Said Dragons then gave happy roars as they pounced at Mikasa's head and clung to her and her laughing resumed full force and continued as the two Dragons suddenly growled at each other again and began fighting for space closest to Mikasa.

Mikasa suddenly realized that this was the cause of her migraine, as the two fought for dominance within her mind and she winced a little "ok take it ease, you're giving me a headache" she said, reaching up and separating them from each other and the two Dragons actually seamed to almost pout in response as they retreated from her mind enough that her head stopped hurting and Mikasa gave a relived sigh before smiling again and looking at the Dragons with amazement.

She was still having trouble believing it. Just when she had given up hope of an egg hatching for her, she got two _figures _she thought sarcastically as she started stroking the black hatchlings back and chuckled when the gray one pouted in response and Mikasa scratching him under his chin, which quickly made him feel better and his eyes rolled up a little as he leaned into the scratching with a purr.

Mikasa chuckled at the two as they relished in the affection "_glad to see you're awake" _a voice called and Mikasa looked up to see Scarlett poking her head though the curtain of vines that separated her, still bare, room from the rest of the tree.

Mikasa then heard rapid footsteps quickly getting louder before Eren with his hair blown back as if he'd been running into the wind for hours, burst in "Mikasa!" he said with a wide smile "ow!" the smile quickly turned into a wince of pain though as Scarlett waked him over the head with her tail _"didn't your mother tech you not to barge into a females cave unannounced?" _the Dragon scolded him with a hint of amusement.

Laughter erupting from behind Eren, along with the thumping of an adult Dragon's footsteps, announced the others' arrival as Thalia poked her head in as well, fallowed by Roy and Armin, with his green hatchling on his head "hay, glad to see you're up" Armin said with a smile as Mikasa sat up and her Dragons moved to her lap "how are you feeling?" Roy asked and Mikasa rubbed her head "aside from a slight headache from these two fighting over me, I'm feeling pretty good" she answered but then paused for a moment as she fell deep in though "actually, I feel different…like someone took gloves off my hands for the first time in years" she amended with a confused look.

Roy rubbed his chin and hummed in thought "well that's…interesting…" he trailed off, not really sure what to make of that, he would have to inquire about it further, but that could wait for now.

Eren then came up next to Mikasa "well I'm just glad you're up and feeling better. You kinda had us a little worried there for a while" he said and Mikasa looked at him with concern "why's that?…and how did your hair get like that?" she asked with curiosity towards the end as she took in Eren's windblown appearance and noticed that Eren was shivering and swaying ever so slightly.

Eren began rubbing his neck a little sheepishly "well, you've been out for a lot longer then we were and we were starting to worry so Scarlett took me out to fly some more and get our minds off it and…we kinda got a bit carried away…" Eren paused to shiver a little "turns out it also get's really cold up there and the air gets pretty thin, so I'm still a bit dizzy" he finished with a sheepish grin.

Mikasa chuckled a little in response as she looked Eren over but her attitude cooled a little "wait, how long WAS I out for?" She asked and Roy gave a heavy sigh "half a day" he answered and Mikasa looked at him with surprise "what?…but Eren and Armin weren't out for that long" she said but then looked back down to her Dragons "is it because I bonded with two of them" she asked as the hatchling looked up at her with those huge eyes of their's.

Roy and Thalia both grimaced a little at that "most likely…" he trailed off a little as he considered bringing up the issue with them, but in light of all the stress they had been under up to this point, he decided to hold off for the time being.

Thalia gave Roy a disapproving glance in response _"I know and I'll bring it up latter today, but first let's at least give Mikasa some time to adjust" _Roy silently replied and Thalia gave reluctant huff of agreement.

Armin noticed the expressions of the older Rider and Dragon but brushed it aside for the time being as he approached Mikasa's bed and his own hatchling hopped down to sniff and examine the new and slightly smaller hatchlings. The black one of which seamed interested in Armin's Dragon but ultimately was the more aloof of the two new hatchlings and gave a yawn before laying dawn to nap. The gray one on the other hand, growled protectively in front of Mikasa and it arched it's back while lifting it's heavy wings.

Everyone chuckled at the baby Dragons as Mikasa began scratching under the gray hatchling's chin, causing it to abruptly stop growling in favor of purring as it's eyes lulled back and the hatchling leaned into it before it's legs gave out and the hatchling rolled onto it's side so Mikasa could scratch it's belly.

This elicited more chuckling and cooing from everyone "so what are they anyway?" Armin asked and Mikasa looked up at him with confusion for a moment before she realized he was talking about their genders and she looked back at the Dragons as she focused on their link, which prompted them both to look at her. It was a little disorienting at first, trying to distinguish between the two of them but it became surprisingly easy once she got over the initial vertigo "well, I think they're both male" she answered.

Roy chuckled a little as he approached the bed himself and took a knee to be level with the Dragons "I still can't get over the fact that you bonded with two of them, though that might explain why they waited so long to hatch" he started, earning their attention "how so" Eren asked and Thalia gave a thoughtful hum _"even when in our eggs, we Dragons are somewhat aware of what transpires around us, so they were most likely waiting to see which would hatch first but the both of them were too stubborn and they ended up waiting till the very last minuet when nether could wait any longer" _she explained and Roy nodded at their surprised stares "aye, that's one theory. One that's backed up by the other thing I can't believe about it being these two in particular" he said.

The kids all stared at Roy expectantly _"what about them?" _Scarlett asked and Roy smirked "these two Dragons are siblings if I remember correctly" he answered and the kids blinked with surprise before looking down at the hatchlings "wow, talk about things lining up. It almost feels like fate" Armin commented but Roy only chuckled some more "oh it gets better. From what we can see, I'd say the black one is a Swiftwing while the gray one is a Steelwing" Roy explained to which Eren arched an eyebrow "what's so special about them being a Swiftwing and a Steelwing?" He asked and Roy stood up and crossed his arms "they're complete opposites is what" he said before gesturing to the two hatchlings "Swiftwings are the fastest of all Dragons while Steelwings are the slowest, but unlike all other Dragons, they can make use of their own wings as additional weapons, since they're so heavy and armored" Roy explained.

Armin hummed as he looked the Dragons over "so speed and strength" he summarized as he watched his own Dragon try sniffing at the gray hatchling, only from him to bat at the green Dragon's snout and Armin's Dragon crouched down and got ready to pounce in response and the next thing they knew, the two hatchlings were fighting playfully with each other and everyone laughed at them before their tumble inevitably spilled over to the black hatchling who was still trying to nap and he pounced at them in retaliation, which only resulted in him getting sucked into the little spar.

The three Dragon's nearly fell off the bed but Armin managed to catch his while Mikasa grabbed both of her's, who still wanted to keep batting at each other and she had to hold them apart, laughing the whole way as their happiness leaked over to her.

Armin laughed at them along with everyone else but he then grew a thoughtful expression as he looked down at his own Dragon "hay Roy, have you managed to figure out what type of Dragon he is yet? I know he didn't have any noticeable features aside from his horns before…" Armin asked and Roy hummed as he looked the Dragon over "aye, we initially thought that might be his trait but they haven't grown extremely since then, although his scales seam to be getting rougher and more dull…" Roy trailed of in thought as he observed Armin's Dragon, who's scales had indeed hardened substantially and the already duller shade of his scales had become darker, essentially becoming the opposite of Scarlett, becoming more earthy then metallic "it's very possible that he may be a Stonescales" Roy theorized.

Thalia gave an amused hum at what was becoming a common look of curiosity and inquisitiveness among the children _"Stonescales are essentially the same as Brightscales but in reverse. Their scales are much stronger then usual and they tend to be less vain then other Dragons" _Thalia explained before they could asked.

Roy scoffed lightly and playfully at Thalia's words though "yah, as un-vain as a Dragon can be that is" he muttered and received a light growl and a face full of smoke from Thalia's nostrils for his trouble.

The kids all laughed in response to the two. Mikasa then kicked her legs off the side of the bed and stretched as she got ready to get up. Mikasa was nearly knocked off the bead though, as her Dragons races to be the first to hop up on her shoulders. Eren managed to catcher Mikasa before she fell and she took a moment to get her bearings before looking to the two hatchlings. The black one on her left shoulder and the grey one on her right. Both of them were growling lightly at each other as they pressed up close to Mikasa's head.

Mikasa just sat there for a second as her eyes darted between the two with a somewhat stunned expression. Her shock soon turned to exasperation though as she realized this was probably going to be happening a lot.

Meanwhile, Armin was doing his best not to snicker at the sight _now you know how Eren feels when you try to get his attention _he thought as his own Dragon climbed back up on his head and they made their way out of Mikasa's room.

* * *

**A/N - **I ended up cutting the chapter in half again on account of the long wait. I'm sorry again for the really screwed up schedule and I'll try to do better.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N - **Hello everyone, I'm back. I would say sorry for the wait but at this point I feeling if I did I would be doing it for every chapter.

I am sorry for the messed up schedule. I could blame it on the cold I had last week but in truth my urge to write has just been at an all time low.

Updates will probably still be screwy but they will keep coming.

Also, I know I've been bad not to give spoiler warnings before but for those who only watch the anime, there's going to be some stuff from way ahead in this one that might cause some confusion, so fair warning.

Now, on with the chapter and happy reading.

* * *

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 23**

* * *

Roy stretched as he hopped down off Thalia's saddle and they walked back into the tree. It had been a day since Mikasa had reawakened and the tree had shook with a sound almost like miniature thunder.

This was a fairly common occurrence nowadays, caused by a wandering Titan, coming in contact with the tree and being repelled by the wards Roy had put in place. It was a grim reminder of the threat that lingered below that he and the kids had still yet to adjust too. Roy had decided to check the wards to be sure they weren't compromised and kill the Titan before it could cause any further disruptions "I'm still not sure if I'll ever get used to those things" Roy muttered and Thalia huffed in agreement _"indeed, and I find it disturbing how quickly we forget their presence below us when not out flying" _she added as they made their way back in.

Roy grimaced slightly at Thalia's words. Even as they were now, perhaps even more so because of it, they could not afford to become complacent, lest they suffer the same fate Eren and the others did only a few weeks ago.

Roy shook his head free of the dreary thoughts, for he already had other matters to discuss with the kids today, once everything was settled again.

Speaking of things settling, Roy had decided to forgo training for today, given recent events, but as he approached the living area, he noticed the kids weren't conversing or anything. Instead, they were just sitting there silently and Roy couldn't help but notice that Eren and Armin were sitting as far away from Mikasa as possible without actually leaving her, with their Dragons with them, and watching the newest, official addition to their ranks, intently.

Roy arched an eyebrow at them in curiosity and walked up behind Eren and Armin on the couch while Thalia went to check on the eggs "hay, what's going on?" he asked and the kids glanced up at him before turning their gazes, which were a combination of concerned and amused, beck to Mikasa _"we're waiting to see when Mikasa finally snaps" _Scarlett answered nonchalantly, much to Roy's surprise and confusion and earning an eye roll from Eren "not quite how I would put it Scarlett" he chided her though his unsure tone sounded like it wasn't far off.

Roy looked between to two before looking up at Mikasa, who for the most part didn't look particularly bother by anything.

However, both of her Dragons were currently growling at and butting heads with each other as they fought over Mikasa. All the while, the girl just sat their like a statue, staring forward with emotionless grey eyes.

Roy scratched his head in confusion as he watched _I don't see what…wait, did her eye just twitch?…_ Roy though as he observed Mikasa and it was then that Roy realized what was going on. For a normal Rider, it wasn't uncommon to feel headaches and other forms of awkwardness around their new partner during the first few days. For Mikasa though…

The two Dragons fighting over her must have been like prodding needles into Mikasa's head and then scrambling it around in the poor girls mind and she was trying desperately not to explode, do in part to what had happened when she did so to Scarlett, weeks prior.

Armin sighed as he saw Roy's eyes widen with realization and a little fear "yep, it'll happen any minuet now" he said while picking his own Dragon up off his head and stuffing him behind his back, just in case. Even Scarlett was only peeking her head out from behind the couch but also poised to leap out in the event something happened _"Yah. As one who was once on the receiving end of her anger when pushed to her mental limits, I can attest to just how screwed they'll be" _she said while eying the hatchling and Mikasa intently.

Roy on the other hand, snapped his head at the young Dragon so fast it looked like he'd have whiplash. He had heard Dragons use crass language on occasion, but never so bluntly and casually and never from one so young. It became quite obvious where this habit had most likely come from though and Roy soon turned his eyes to Eren with a less then amused looked. Roy never brought it up, because of the cultural differences, but Eren defiantly cursed more then what was considered appropriate in Alagaësia for one his age. Sure Roy had plenty of foul things he wanted to say to certain individuals too, but he usually kept it bottled up inside. Plus, Roy had noticed cursing just seamed a lot more blunt in general in this land.

Eren seamed to sense Roy's eyes on him and looked up at their mentor "what?" he asked almost innocently, prompting Roy to give an exasperated sigh "nothing" he said, brushing the train of thought aside as he looked back up at Mikasa and grimaced as he saw her eye twitching more rapidly then before and her fist clenched tightly while the hatchlings continued, oblivious to their Rider's predicament. Most likely do to Mikasa trying to suppress her emotions. Something she was surprisingly good at most of the time, so long as Eren wasn't involved.

Roy really wished he could do something to help her, but he was already struggling with mentoring them in general and her being bonded to two Dragons was incredibly rare, so he had no idea how to even begin helping.

Meanwhile, Mikasa's vision was starting to tunnel as she struggled to contain herself. It wasn't just the headache that was getting to her, but the emotions that were leaking over. Both Dragons were basically jealous of each other and fighting for dominance, but the problem was she was feeling BOTH sides of the fight, meaning she felt both incredibly attached to and protective of both of them, but she also felt like ripping both their heads off because of how they felt towards each other and it was tearing her apart mentally.

Mikasa's foot began tapping rapidly as the two growled at each other. Then one of her fingers followed as they butted heads. A vain then popped on her forehead above her twitching eye, as they stared wrestling and her vision got darker and darker as it continued to tunnel until red started to show at the edges of her vision.

**CRASH!**

Mikasa's vision finally cleared and everyone watched with frayed nerves as they looked down at a glass of water that the two had knocked off the table and shattered, but they continued without taking notice of it.

Or at least they did for a few more seconds…

The two abruptly stopped fighting and stared into each other's eyes, not with jealousy or anger but with something else. Something like stunned shock.

That stunned shock quickly turned to fear though as their eyes widened and they slowly turned their heads to see Mikasa, who had gone still. However her stillness did not invoke calm as the mental barriers she had been holding up finally came crashing down and all her emotions came out and flooded their link, and if pure rage and terror were a visible spectrum, then she would have had a massive aura of it swirling around her and consuming anything and everything around her as the shadows from her bangs, hid her eyes.

Mikasa then stood and the two Dragons yelped as they huddled together for safely, no longer caring about their rivalry as they backed up until they hit the other couch behind them, leaving them no room to run or hide as Mikasa slowly approached, and in their fear they could have sworn one of Mikasa's eyes glowed a sinister red in the shadows for a moment as she reached down and grabbed them by the scruff of their necks, like puppies or kittens and they curled up in the same manner.

Mikasa then looked up at the others who were frozen in fear, even Roy dared not move "excuse us for a moment" she said in deadpan and the Dragons squeaked in terror as she turned and walked away until they were back in her room, out of sight.

Everyone stood or sat frozen for a long while. None of them really knew how long as they were too stunned to keep track of time.

Eventually, Roy gulped and gave an awkward and uncertain smile "how can a ten year old be that terrifying?" He asked no one in particular but Scarlett still shuddered next to him and the kids nodded numbly as Armin set a hand on his terrified Dragon, hiding behind him "s-should we…do something?…" Roy asked the kids, who were more experienced dealing with Mikasa. Eren and Armin shook their heads in the negative in unison though "when she gets like this, it's usually best to just hunker down and let it pass" Armin advised to which Eren nodded in agreement.

Roy decided to glance over at his room to see how Thalia was handling this, as she no doubt felt his emotions with how intense they were, and even she was glancing out the doorway nervously _seriously! Even the adult Dragon is scared of her _Roy thought with mild disbelief.

Thalia growled lightly in response to Roy's thoughts, but didn't say anything on them.

Finally, Mikasa emerged from her room and everyone tensed as she stood there, but they relaxed slightly when she gave a relived sigh before walking back over with both of her Dragons.

Mikasa set the two hatchlings down on the couch and they sat there like statuses as Mikasa collapses like she had just run a marathon.

The others all watched as the hatchlings continued to just sit there with traumatized expressions and Eren imagined that if their scales had been clear, then they would have been ghostly white underneath.

Eventually, the grey one lifted it's heavy wing and set it over it's brother and they laid on top of each other in a pile, showing the first signs of sibling affection and protectiveness since hatching. An action that seamed to cause Mikasa to relax even further, which in turn caused the others to sigh in relief _"that turned out better then I expected" _Armin thought to those at his couch. Eren arch an eyebrow at him however _"really? I mean I knew she was going to blow up eventually but you didn't seriously think she would have actually hurt then do you?" _Eren thought back and Armin grimaced _"of corse not! It's just…well none of us have exactly been in the right frame of mind lately. I know we're getting better, but between all the stress that was building up before now, then those to fighting over Mikasa…I was just worried she might react a bit more…explosively…" _Armin explained.

Eren hummed in thought for a moment before nodding in agreement _"yah, I see what you mean" _he admitted. Eren then grew a thoughtful expression again as he realized something _"also, talking like this is ridiculously convenient" _he thought to the others and Armin and Roy both hummed in thought.

Eren was right, and it was also unbelievable how quickly they had picked up telepathy, almost like it was natural for them.

Yet another oddity to add to Roy's ever growing list.

Armin let out a breath as his mind went off on a tangent and he pondered the possibilities of telepathy while glancing over his friends and the Dragons.

Armin's eyes widened though and he quickly did a double take upon glancing over Eren "uh…Eren…" he said with worry. This of course immediately caused Scarlett and Mikasa to bolt up as Eren looked to his friend "what?" he asked but Armin craned his head to look at the side of Eren's "d-do you feel anything…odd…with your ear?…" Armin trailed off.

Eren was starting to freak out a little at how Armin was acting and reached up to fiddle with his left ear "I mean, it has been feeling a little wired lately, but all of me has lately…I just thought it was from all the training…why is something wrong with it?" he asked with concern as he felt it and it did feel almost deformed in a way.

Meanwhile, Roy was staring down at Eren _there's no way… _he trailed off in thought and disbelief as Thalia walked back into the room to check what the commotion was about.

Roy reached down and moved Eren's hand out of the way and brushed his hair back and his already wide eyes shot even wider at the sight of the slightly pointed ear "you have got to be kidding me" Roy said and the others looked to him in surprise "you know what's going on?" Armin asked as Roy slapped a hand over his face and dragged it down before giving a sigh "yes and it's not supposed to be happening for months, if not years" he moaned while shaking his head.

The kids all looked up at Roy "what's happening to Eren?" Mikasa asked with a somewhat icy edge and Roy groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck "the pact between Dragons and Riders was originally made between Elves and Dragons. Humans didn't come in until centuries later, after the war, meaning they're closer to the magic then we are. Because of that, when a Human bonds with a Dragon, we transform to appear more elven" Roy explained.

Mikasa was less then pleased with Roy's explanation "and you didn't think to tell us about this sooner?" she asked, causing Roy to give a frustrated growl "hay, you try dealing with being flung into a strange land that doesn't even speak your language and then try teaching everything there is to know about Dragons and Magic and being a Rider, all while dealing with giant naked cannibals and a corrupt government, and remember everything!" he snapped.

Roy took a deep breath and quickly reined in his emotions "your right though, I should have brought this up sooner. I'm sorry" he apologized before shaking his head and looking to a still very confused Eren "all Riders go though this eventually. We become faster and stronger, with enhanced senses" he started explaining before rubbing his head again "and there is a counter spell that prevents your facial features from changing, which I know since it was already place on me" he said.

Eren seamed to perk up a little then "so you can fix this?" he asked but Roy grimaced "not exactly" he admitted and Eren seamed to deflate a little "I can stop it from progressing any further but if I did it now, then you would forever have only one, partially pointed ear" Roy explained and Eren seamed to deflate further "can't you figure something out?" he asked but Roy shook his head "I'm sorry Eren. I may be confident enough to shift Thalia's scale colors a little but I dare not try to actually modify the structure of someone's body…not again" he muttered the last part out while giving a small shudder "I still have nightmares of what I accidentally did to Brom" he muttered in English and Thalia shuddered as well _"I don't think he ever got all of the pink out" _she silently added.

Roy looked back to Eren and gave an unsure smile "look, maybe I could modify the spell a little so that it only effects your face, that way your ears could short of…even out…if you don't want to look like an elf that is" he said. Eren thought it over for a moment before sighing "I'll think about it" he said and Roy nodded.

The elder Rider's face became serious though "ok but for now we have a very serious problem to discuss" he said, earning their undivided attention again "what do you mean?" Armin asked and Roy and Thalia looked to each other for a moment before turning back to the kids _"we have been writing it off as coincidence until now. But with Mikasa's bonding, it became obvious that we could no longer ignore it" _Thalia started.

The kids all looked confused at that "me…is it that odd that I bonded with two Dragons?" She asked but Armin shook his head "no, there's more to it then that, you said you were suspecting whatever this is before that" he said and Roy nodded a little grimly "yes. We didn't bring it up before to give Mikasa time to adjust after all the stress you've all been though" he said before sighing "but now Eren's early transformation is pushing even that up" he said before looking over all of them "something is wrong with the way all of you have bonded" he finally explained.

The kids and Dragons all looked at Roy with surprise _"what do you mean" _Scarlett asked with worry as she rapped her tail around Eren's leg and Roy grimaced as he rubbed his hand before holding it up to show his Gëdway mark "bonding with a Dragon is always painful and on rare occasion it has knocked a few people unconscious…but for it to knock all three of you out like it did. That shouldn't have happened" he said and Thalia huffed in agreement _"Mikasa we could understand, but even then, she was out for half a day. Then add on top of that how quickly your mental abilities have progressed and now Eren's transformation, which should not even begin occurring for months…none of this is normal" _she finished.

The kids all took a moment to process what they had been told "so…what does this all mean?" Armin asked and Roy rubbed his face in frustration again "we have no idea, but we can't just ignore it. We need to figure out what's going on" he said.

The kids thought it over for a second before looking back to Roy "ok, what do we need to do?" Mikasa asked as Roy started stroking his chin "well first I need to examine you for magic. Anything I might have missed while treating your injures, which given my magical skill…could be a lot" Roy admitted with a hint of shame at the end.

Mikasa stood up to volunteer but Roy raises his hand "no, you sit back down. Your bond is not only unique but way too fresh. I'd rather not risk testing you yet" he said and could tell Mikasa was not happy with her predicament but sat down none the less as Roy rounded the couch to look at Armin and Eren "ok, are you two ready?" he asked and they nodded before Roy started chanting and moving his glowing hand over them.

* * *

Thirty minutes later and Roy was growing more frustrated.

He had given Eren and Armin a full check twice and was now giving Eren his third attempt but gave a frustrated sigh and he lowered his hand "it just doesn't make any sense" he muttered as he stood back to his full hight and started to pace.

Meanwhile the kids had mixed emotions on the subject. Mikasa and the Dragons were all worried. Armin's worry was starting to give way a little to curiosity as he put a finger to his own chin in contemplation, and Eren, while still concerned, was starting to feel more bored then anything else, with just sitting there as Roy worked.

Eren let his head fall back as he let out a bored sigh "nothing yet?" He asked and Roy started beating his own forehead with frustration "no, nothing…I just don't understand what I'm missing…" he trailed off while continuing to pace.

Armin just continued to hum as he thought over their situation "there must be something…a common link" he muttered before looking to his friends "do any of you remember anything weird from bonding?" he asked but Eren just gave him a funny look "your going to have to be more specific then that Armin. I mean we aren't exactly experts on the subject and we don't even know what it would normally feel like" he pointed out.

Armin continued to work the problem over in his mind though "we do know it hurt more then it should have…do any of you remember anything about that? Maybe where it hurt the most?" he asked and his friends thought it over.

Mikasa then perked up a little "actually, I think I remember it hurting the most at the nape of the neck" she said while subconsciously rubbing her nape.

Everyone perked up and looked to her at that "the nape…I was in too much pain to tell when I bonded but still…" Armin trailed off as everyone thought it over.

Roy looked over at Armin _figures he's the one to figure it out. Kid's too smart for his own good _he thought before walking back over "well, it's the best lead we have. Eren?" he asked and Eren nodded before pulling down the back of his shirt a little as Roy positioned himself behind him.

Roy places his hand to Eren's nape and started chanting. All the while he couldn't help but think though _the nape of the neck…I'm starting to notice a theme around here _he thought while thinking of the Titans wandering around below them.

For a while, nothing happened and they were staring to worry, but then…

**ZAP!**

Golden statistic, jumped from Eren's nape to Roy's hand and they both tensed upon feeling it "uh, Roy…what was that?" Eren asked and the older Rider blinked a few times before answering "I don't know…but there's something in there" he said before chanting some more and everyone tensed as they watched. Scarlett laid her head on Eren's lap while tightening her tail around his ankle and Mikasa clenched the arm rest of her couch as she watched with worry. Armin was the only one of them who seamed to keep a relatively level head and even he was watching with trepidation.

Thalia brought her head down next to Roy _"what have you found?" _she asked and Roy hummed in thought as he adjusted his spell slightly "I'm not sure. There is defiantly magic in there, right at the nape, but it's not like anything I've ever seen before and I can't get a good feel for it" he explained, he really didn't understand it, the magic was just so foreign, and if there were words for it in the Ancient Language then he didn't know them.

Roy grimaced as he failed to identify the magic again as it sparked through Eren's body _I just don't get it. It's almost like it's leaching off Eren's energy and feeding it back in _Roy thought. His eyes suddenly lit up then as a lightbulb went off in his head. It was a bit of a stretch but he didn't have any other ideas "Líf sven" he cast a new spell and Armin arched an eyebrow as he recognized the words _if I remember correctly, that's a life tracking spell, but why would he use that. I know spells are power by life energy so I guess that would work but still, it's not very efficient for identifying magic _Armin thought as he watched Roy work.

At first Roy couldn't discern anything from Eren's own energy but then he finally saw it. Sparking out from his nape into his spine and then the rest of his body "whoa, I think I found it" he said and everyone perked up and Eren tried to look over his shoulder without messing up Roy "what is it?" the boy asked and Roy gave a confused expression "it's…not magic…or at least not entirely I mean. Whatever's in your nape is definitely magical in nature but…it's like it's a separate organism all together. Almost like a…parasite" Roy explained.

The kids all looked at Roy with wide eyes while subconsciously rubbing their napes "there's a parasite living in my neck!?" Eren asked in shock and Roy nodded with a worried expression "yes but, I don't see any bites or incisions or anything to indicate how it got in there and it's…kind of weak for some reason" Roy explained before chanting more as he modified the spell to better identify the thing in Eren's nape "it looks like it's bonded to your spine and invading your nervous system and brain and…wait a second" Roy continued almost absentmindedly but stoped as he noticed something and turned to face his Dragon "Thalia, take a look at this. Does anything feel familiar to you?" he asked and the Dragon focused on Eren's nape as she probed it with her mind. The Dragon's eyes then widened soon after though _"wait this is like…" _she trailed off and Roy grunted in confirmation as he looked back to Eren "like the mind of a Titan" he finished.

The kids all gasped at that "what do mean by that?" Mikasa asked while the others sat in shock and confusion _"not long after we first arrived here, we attempted to invade the minds of a few Titans, but they were protected by magic that we did not recognize or understand" _Thalia explained and Roy nodded "and that same magic is protecting this creature's mind" Roy added.

Aside from Roy's occasional chanting, there was silence for a long moment as they sat there stunned. Eventually, Eren swallowed his anxiety and confusion "so…what do we do now?" he asked and Roy gave a frustrated sigh "I don't know. I can't figure out what this thing actually is or what it's doing to you without removing it and not only is it bonded to your spine but it's roots are so deeply imbedded throughout you'd nervous system and brain that I don't think I could remove it" Roy answered, much to the dread of everyone present, as Scarlett tightened her grip on Eren's leg and Mikasa's knuckles turned white from gripping the arm of her chair so tightly.

Roy's eyes narrowed a little though "however…" he started as he examined Eren further "this thing, whatever it is, is oddly weak. So we might be able to brake through it's mental defenses and figure out more about it" he said and the others perked up "what are you hoping to find?" Armin asked and Roy shrugged "insight hopefully. There aren't a lot of options here and for the moment this is all we can actually do" Roy explained.

Mikasa and Scarlett both looked up at Roy with an icy stare "and the risks?" Mikasa asked and Roy grimaced "I won't lie, this is dangerous what I'm suggesting, but is it honestly any more dangerous then just leaving this thing in not just Eren but potentially all of you, to do god know's what?" Roy countered, to which Mikasa grimaced and Armin rubbed the back of his neck nervously while his own Dragon nuzzled him with a concerned whine.

"Do it"

Everyone looked to Eren in surprise as he looked up, not with fear or concern but with determination burning in his eyes "Eren…" Mikasa started but the boy clenched his fist tightly "it's like Roy said. It'd be more dangerous to not do anything and I'm not just going to let this thing do whatever it wants with my body!" he said with furry lacing his voice.

While everyone looked at Eren with surprise and in Roy's case, a little respect, Scarlett brought her head up to eye level with Eren _"are you sure about this? We could always look for another way" _she silently asked but Eren shook his head _"you heard what Roy said. This is our only option right now, and I'm not letting this thing just do whatever it wants with me…or with them" _Eren response in kind, while looking up at his friends.

Scarlett laid her ears back and whined a little _"ok" _she relented. She may not have liked this situation, but Eren wouldn't be her Rider if he backed down from something like this, and so she planted her head, firmly back on his lap.

Roy grabbed Eren by the shoulder with his free hand "are you sure about this?" he asked but Eren's eyes never lost that fire in them "do it" he said firmly and Roy nodded before looking to his hand, still pressed against Eren's nape "alright" he said and started attacking the creature's mind.

**ZAP!**

Eren's eyes shot wide in pain as he clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to spasm from the golden lightning, surging through his body. It felt a little like when he bonded with Scarlett, just not quite as painful. It still felt like he was being torn apart from the inside though, and he almost thought he could hear an inhuman screeching as the parasite in his neck writhed in far worse agony.

Meanwhile his friends all watched with worried and Scarlett whimpered as she held Eren close. Roy and Thalia grimaced though as they tried to brake through "almost…there!" Roy grunted out as he finally broke through, but as soon as he did…

**BOOM!**

The sound of thunder, shook his senses and everything went black.

* * *

"Gah!" Eren gasped awake but he didn't move as his body felt numb and his ears rang and his vision blurred. But most of all, something felt terribly wrong. Eren couldn't put his finger on it but something was defiantly not right _"Scarlett…what happened?" _he thought to his Dragon, finding his body still too numb to respond.

No answer came though and fear shot through Eren _"Scarlett?" _he tried again but no response came. He could still feel his Dragon there and he could feel the fear coming over their link but it was all messed up. It was like Scarlett's emotions and thoughts were coming through so fast that he couldn't make sense of them, but also so slow that it would take years to make sense of one thought.

It was so messed up and impossible and it was giving Eren a headache.

Eren groaned as he finally got feeling back in his body but it was still weird. He then felt something grainy under him and his vision cleared enough for him to see he was laying on blue sand "what that hell" he groaned out in confusion as he pushed himself up to find it wasn't the sand that was blue, but the light in the area was bathing everything in a shade of blue. And he was defiantly not in the treehouse anymore.

He was in a vast, blue desert.

Eren just sat there on his knees for a moment as his brain shorted out "…ok…" he said with flabbergasting expression. He then grunted though as pain shot through him, like he was being zapped and he looked down at himself to see gold lightning arcing across his body and a red glow, gently hugging his form but flaring up where the lightning struck him, almost as if it was battling for dominance. However, he did noticed that his left arm and leg, which Scarlett hand regrown, were completely devoid of any lightning and was completely covered in the red glow. Eren then noticed his hand, where his Gëdway Mark was and a tether of red light was extending from it a weaving into the sky, while another blueish tether was leading out of his spine in the opposite direction, the blue one was notably weaker though.

Eren sat and blinked a few times before letting out "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Eren stopped abruptly though as a hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to see Roy, who like him, was encased in a gentle white glow, and had a similarly colored tether coming from his Gëdway Mark, but no other tether or lightning.

Roy wasn't looking at Eren though, and instead was starting off in the other direction with wide eyes at what was causing the blue light.

Eren gasped as he laid eyes upon it too. A sight that was both beautiful, and for some deep, instinctual reason he couldn't understand, also terrifying.

A blue aurora, like paths of light, ran through the sky and all converged at one point, creating a massive pillar of light.

The two just stared for a good moment, and in the face of this insane, otherworldly sight, Eren had only one thought run through his mind "what the fuck?"

* * *

**A/N - **"Líf sven" - "Life sight"


	24. Chapter 24

**Wings of Freedom**

**Chapter 24**

* * *

Armin felt a terrible sense of déjà vu, as his ears rang and he groaned in pain as he pushed himself up off the floor. Armin and his friends were ending up in this kind of situation far too often for the boy's liking. Fear and concern for his Dragon and friends, compelled Armin to push those feelings down for the moment though as he looked up with blurred vision.

Armin's vision cleared enough for him to see that the couch he and Eren had been sitting on, was now on fire. Eren was laying unconscious in front of it with a little smoke rising from a scorch mark on his nape and Roy was laying on the other side, also unconscious with smoke rising from his burnt hand.

**"RRRAAAHHH!"**

Armin winced at the panicked roars that bombarded his ears and made his headache worse as Thalia and Scarlett rushed to their Riders' sides.

Something then nudged Armin's side and he felt immediate relief as he looked over to see his Dragon, unharmed and he immediately picked him up before shakily standing himself and shaking the last of his dizziness from his head.

"Eren!" and of corse Mikasa was the first Human among them to run to Eren's side as she called his name, with her gray dragon on her shoulder and the black one right at her heals.

Armin was quick to fallow as they came up on Eren, with Scarlett hovering over him and Thalia doing the same with Roy "Eren, can you head me!? Eren!?" Mikasa called out as she rolled him onto his side but not all the way to his back, on account of the burn on his nape. Eren didn't respond though and just lay there limply.

Armin grimaced with worry before looking to Roy, who was similarly unresponsive "Thalia! How's Roy?" he asked, knowing Mikasa would take care of Eren.

Thalia glanced up at Armin for a fraction of a second before focusing back on Roy _"I can feel him but…it's like his mind isn't here and none of his thoughts make sense" _she answered and Scarlett whined from where she hovered over her own Rider _"Eren is the same" _she said before focusing back on Eren.

Armin's mind buzzed as it worked overtime to process everything. Mikasa and the Dragons were all too frantic to work through this properly.

The boy gritted his teeth as he forced down his emotions and looked the scene over before turning to the adult Dragon "Thalia, put the fire out while we deal with Roy and Eren!" he said but the Dragon cast him a glare and a growl _"I will not-"_

"We don't have time!" Armin cut her off with a glare of his own "if the fire spreads then we won't be able to help Roy or Eren and your the only one who can get it out of here! So deal with that and we'll deal with them!" Armin ordered.

It was truly an odd sight, the small boy ordering around the massive white Dragon, who actually looked stunned for a brief moment. The Dragon quickly snapped out of it though and simply growled as she grabbed the still burning couch and want to toss it out of the tree.

While the Dragon did that, Armin moved to Roy and set his own Dragon down and started looking Roy over and aside from the burn on his hand, there didn't appear to be any other injuries and his pulse was strong, if rapid. Armin really wished he knew healing magic right about now, but he was still learning the basics so even attempting it was out of the question. So, with that option out and no physical condition he could see, causing this, he decided to try probing his mind as Thalia made her way back.

Armin grimaced though as he did. It was like Thalia said. It was like Roy's mind was somehow not there, and as Armin didn't share a bond with Roy like Thalia, he could feel even less then her and couldn't here his thoughts, _come on, what do I do? _Armin thought as Thalia began digging around in in Roy's head again, in her attempt to reach him.

Armin felt helpless as he knelt there and looked between Roy and Eren. His Dragon's panic didn't help things ether as he hunkered down next to Armin and the boy ran a hand through his hair _come on think! There must be something I can do! _he thought. He could check Eren since that thing in his neck was the cause of this, but not only did that run the risk of him ending up in the same situation and potentially making Eren worse, but he didn't even know enough about magic to even try.

Armin was pulled from his panicked spiraling by Thalia yelping in even greater panic then before and Scarlett looked more agitated as well. Armin soon found out why to, as he was reminded that he was still in Roy's head by the second most agonizing pain he had felt in his life, coming from Roy and looked down and saw the scar over Roy's eye, glowing a sickly and sinister red, all the way down his chest.

Between the pain and confusion and panic of the whole situation, Armin hesitated in pulling out of Roy's mind just long enough for him and Thalia to feel a bit of Roy's mind, desperately reach out to them and yell _"PULL US OUT!"_ and nether Dragon waisted any time in delving as deep as they could and clawing their Riders back out, now that they were working from both sides.

"GAH!"

Both Riders gaped awake and shot up with panicked expressions and Roy gripped hay his eye while their Dragons rapped them in their wings "Eren!" Mikasa called with relief as the boy hyperventilated.

Armin's mind shorted out as everyone sat there in an uneasy silence. Was it really over that quickly? What caused it in the first place? What were they supposed to do now? All these thoughts and more, raced though Armin's addled mind as he knelt here he was.

Eventually, Eren blinked as he snapped out of it and looked around "S-Scarlett…Mikasa…" he trailed off _"yes, we're here Eren" _Scarlett answered as she held him close.

Eren blinked with confusion and surprise "you…you two stayed by me this whole time?…" Eren trailed off in amazement but Scarlett and Mikasa both gave him confused and worried looks "what? Eren, you've only been out for a few minuets" Mikasa replayed but Eren just stared back at her with shock "what!?…b-but…we were gone for hours!" He exclaimed.

Everyone looked at Eren with shock and confusion "what?…Eren, what are you talking about?" Armin asked as he finally stood up "years" Roy spoke before Eren could answer, though his voice was so quiet that they almost didn't notice.

Thalia lifted her wing, revealing Roy with a somewhat hollow look on his face "for me it felt like years but also instantaneous. It was almost like time had no meaning in that place…" he said while pulling his hand back to look at the burnt skin of his palm.

Armin just stared at Roy for a second as his mind struggled to make sense of everything "what?…Roy, what happened?" he finally asked and Roy looked over at Eren for a moment before looked up at the others "it was…unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of before"

* * *

Roy and Eren walked across the sand dunes of this other worldly realm with a mix of trepidation, confusion and curiosity. Roy was on guard as his eyes scanned the area for any signs of life and his hand ghosting over where his sword would normally be, but Eren had a look of fear. He couldn't explain it but something about this place evoked a deep instinctual fear that he couldn't explain and made it impossible for him to admire the odd beauty of the blue tented desert.

Eren grimaced a little as he rubbed his palm where his Gëdway mark was and felt his Dragon's panic over their link. It was almost unbearable, feeling his partner's desperation and confusion for what was feeling like hours now, as they walked towards the pillar of light at the center of the desert, and the constant zapping from the two magics fighting for dominance in his body, wasn't helping ether.

"Eren?" Roy called back, snapping the boy from his thoughts as he looked up at the older Rider, who glanced over his shoulder at Eren with concern "how are you holding up?" he asked. Eren just stared at the ground for a moment "ok I guess…but, something about this place… it just feels wrong…" he trailed off as he looked up and out over the desert and stared down one of the giant sand sculptures of of a Titan, that dotted the land at seemingly random, but were becoming more common the further in they went "what even is this place anyway?…" Eren muttered, mostly to himself.

Roy sighed as he decided to stop for a moment and cast his gaze to the aurora filled sky to ponder Eren's question "if I were to hazard a guess…" he started, earning Eren's attention "I would say this place is a mental construct of some kind. A sort of illusion that represents this mental plane and where we are in it" he said before turning to face Eren, who grimaced as he tried to grasp the concepts of what Roy was implying "so…we're still in the tree…but our minds are…wherever this is?" Eren asked.

Roy huffed as he crossed his arms and shook his head in frustration "it's just a theory but it's the only thing that makes sense to me" he said then held out his hand to look at his Gëdway mark and the tether coming from it "these tethers must represent our bonds with our dragons, while the one coming out of your nape represents the one the parasite in your neck, and by extension you, share with whatever is in the light at the center of this place" Roy Explained.

Eren's eyes widened before he slowly looked up at the countless tethers up in the sky "but…then that means…" he trailed off in shock "yes, all those lights probably connect to parasites in other people" Roy answered Eren unfinished question as he looked up as well with narrowed eyes "judging from the shear number of tethers it would take to fill the sky like that and the fact that Armin and Mikasa most likely have the same parasites, I'd say at least the majority of the population of the walls has them, if not the entirety of it" Roy explained.

There was an uneasy silence between them for a moment before Roy broke it with a groan and let his arms fall to his sids "of corse this is all just conjecture at this point. There's no way to confirm any of this until we reach the center and then get out of here to check things from the outside" Roy grumbled.

Eren gripped his hand a little tighter with a frustrated grimace in response to that "and how are we even supposed to get out of here? It's not like we can just walk out" he grumbled himself, his inability to do anything but get zapped and feel his Dragon's panic and not even being able to send positive feelings back to reassure her, starting to grate on him.

However, Roy actually cracked a grin for the first time since waking up here, in response "actually, I've been working on that for a while now" Roy said before turning to continue their walk and Eren fallowed close behind "it is possible to cast spells mentally, but it is very difficult and very dangerous, so I've never attempted it. But given our…unique situation, it might be possible for me to cast a spell to strengthen our bonds with our Dragons enough that they can pull us back out if we can't find a way from in here" Roy explained his plan as they continued on and Eren relaxed a little at hearing they at least had something going for them.

And with that, the two fell back into silence as they continued on their trek towards the center, and hopefully answers.

Their path would come to an abrupt end however, as they came upon the first real obstacle they had seen so far, and as they drew closer, they couldn't help but stop and gawk at the wall of sand sculptures of colossal Titans, only a little shorter then the one that broke through Wall Maria.

The two just stared for a long moment before looking left and then right, only to see the wall of Titans stretch on endlessly in both directions with a slight inward curve "well…that's something…" Roy muttered as he just stood there and stared, trying to rationalize why such a construct would exist in this place since all the sculptures they'd see so far were mostly random.

Eren hummed in thought though as he looked the wall over "well what do we do now? Try and find a way through?" he asked and Roy hummed in thought "I don't see many other-agh!" Roy stopped abruptly with a grunt of pain and Eren snapped his head to him with worry "Roy want's wrong!?" he asked but Roy just stared at the ground with a look of shock and terror "no, it can't be…not here too" he said and that's when Eren noticed that Roy's scar was glowing and his eye was turning bloodshot.

In-human laughter, suddenly echoed over the land, as if a thousand voices were acting as one and Eren went ridged and he found himself unable to breath with fear gripping his chest as the most intense killing intent bore down on him like the weight of a thousand Titans and the air became unbearably frigid and in that moment, Eren knew with absolute certainty…

He was about to die…

"Vanyalí vard!" Roy yelled as he spun around and shot out his hand while gripping his face with the other and white light, shot out from his outstretched hand and the sands below them jumped up to meet it at Roy's commend, forming into the same words he spoke repeatedly until a dome of the magic script, materialized around them in an instant, blocking the blast of red energy that detonated against it.

Any other time, Roy would have been fascinated by how magic operated in this realm, but at the moment he was too busy staring in horror at what lay before him.

Eren was likewise, paralyzed with fear, and that was just from the killing intent that was bombarding him. He had face the horrors of the Titans before but this was something else entirely. The Titans simply killed because of instinct. As much as it sickened Eren to admit it, there was no malice in their killing and eating of humans, they were simply higher on the food-chain then them.

But this…

What Eren was feeling right now was pure, evil and malicious intent to kill for the sake of killing and the joy of it.

Something that would forever haunt Eren from that day forward.

All the while, the laughing continued as Roy called out more defensive spells in rapid fire as more attacks came in just as fast. Eventually Eren gulped as he worked up the courage to slowly turn around, only to gasp in horror at what was attacking them.

Dozens of monsters of all shapes and sizes, from walking corpses and skeletons, to the monsters of legends such as minotaurs and gorgons, all wreathed in unnaturally shadows with glowing red eyes, were bearing down on them with all manner of spells.

The monstrous laughing of the hoard finally let up a little, along with their attacks, giving the Riders a moment of respite **"we did not anticipate you discovering this place" **one of the monsters, a black skeleton with no legs, but hovering on a cloud of shadow with a tattered black cloak, rasped at them **"I wander how it is they discovered it"** a giant spider, chittered next, as they began speaking amongst themselves but still with a unified thought process, only occasionally using a singular pronouns.

Eren recognized only a few of the words being said but he didn't like the tone they were speaking in as they debated amongst themselves "R-Roy…what are these things…" Eren stuttered and Roy took ragged breaths as his cursed scar continued to flare, but oddly enough, didn't hurt him as bad as usual "these things…are the spirits that make up the Titan Shade" Roy answered as he mentally ran through the, regrettably small, list of spells he could preform well enough and really wishing he had his sword.

One of the spirits, a gorgon, slithered forward on her lower serpentine body a little as she gave a disturbingly wide grin with her otherwise featureless, pitch black face and the snakes that made up her hair, seamed to hiss as if chuckling **"very good Rider, but only partially, for we are but a fraction of our full potential. The rest of us remain in reality while we explore this realm**" she explained with a taunting edge and the message was clear. Even with a fraction of their full strength, Roy was still no match for them.

And on that note, the spirits began closing in on the two, preparing several spells as they slowly pushed them back.

Combat instincts kicked in as Roy quickly grabbed Eren and jumped with all his enhanced strength while simultaneously casting another protection spell.

Like before, the sands leaped up to form the script in the Ancient Language, some remaining as is for the duration of the spell, others becoming the nature of it, by bursting into flames or arcing into lightning bolts.

Roy hit the ground a good distance from where he once stood, but his enemy was not far behind as he spun and shot his hand out "brisingr!" he called out and fire burst to life among them, earning some satisfying, if horrific, roars and screeches of pain. It would seam that ether wards didn't work here or the spirits had neglected to protect their actual forms here. Roy doubted they would make the same mistake again though, so he pelted them with as many fireballs as he could while running in the opposite direction. **"Mïnen oro"** one of the spirits called out and Roy barely dodged the sickly green sand arrow that grazed him, leaving his arm numb as the "flesh?" tuned a shade of green and the arrow melted into a puddle of poison on the ground.

More spells came at the Riders like a never ending barrage and Roy's wards, which apparently did work here, were now struggling to hold back what he couldn't dodge or block with a spell and manny unknown spell passed through and grazed him _damn it! Why did it have to be a magic battle!? _Roy cursed as his mind scrambled to find a way out of this mess. He was just glad this was already a mental plane, otherwise he'd have to fight mentally as well and there was no way he could do both on his own.

Meanwhile, Eren could do nothing but be paralyzed with fear as Roy dragged him along and he was painfully reminded that in spite of all his work to survive out in Titan territory and the training he had been given, he was still just ten years old.

One of the spirits managed to dash up and blindside the two while the others continued to hound them and Eren gasped as he came face to face with a walking corpse.

Eren's mind went blank as he stared at the thing's face, which was somehow both devoid of meaningful expression and full of murderous glee at the same time and his mind flashed back to the nightmares he had been plagued with before Scarlett hatched for him. The horrible sight of his mother's living corpse haunting him.

And in that moment, before the spirit could strike. Something snapped inside of Eren. The sight of the thing before him dragged up memories that had slowly been overshadowed by his Dragon, his friends and his time training with them and Roy.

Eren wasn't entirely sure of what happened next and would later be told by Roy that he had begun emanating his own killer intent, and if the spirits' was an icy glee then Eren's was a raging hellfire that gave even them pause for a moment. Just long enough for him to wrench himself free of Roy's grasp and raise his hand "BRISINGR!" he screamed with every ounce of rage he held within him and the tether from his nape seamed to flicker and writhe as if in agony for a moment as the lightning that had been zapping him all this time, became a miniature cloud of golden thunder around him.

And then it stopped and all was still for a moment as the lightning died completely. And then…

**BOOM!**

The sands shot up faster then the eye could perceive and a raging, blood red inferno, exploded outward, blossoming from Eren's hand and consuming the walking corpse, which screeched in agony before puffing out in a cloud of smoke.

All was silent again for a moment as Roy stared wide eyed at Eren and the spirits looked on with disbelief.

Eren wasn't finished though, as his anger and bloodlust flared, finally set free from the shackles that had been place on it by Eren's friends for the shake of his sanity and he turned on the other spirits and raised his hand again before repeating the same spell and again, flames blossom forth like a force of nature. Oddly beautiful in it's destructive power as it lit the landscape in red and the spirits were forced to back up and defend themselves for the first time, possible in their existence.

Roy was slack jawed for a good thirty seconds as he watched in stunned silence and morbid fascination as the spirits were burned alive and some even killed _what the hell?…_ Roy trailed off as he watched Eren go berserk like a raging Dragon.

Roy was forced to quickly recover though as the spirits began retaliating and he quickly covered the boy with protective spells while Eren went to town with the one offensive spell he knew _how the hell is he doing this? I know I'm not the most magically gifted person but the amount of energy he's putting out should have put him out of commission by now _Roy thought as he continued to focus on defense.

Roy paused for a moment though as he realized something _wait, why am I not exhausted yet? I should be ready to pass out from all the spells I've been tossing around _he thought as he rises yet another barrier and felt only a minor drain.

Roy cast his eyes all around him at the carnage as he tried to understand what was happening _is it this place and the way the sand reacts to magic? _Roy pondered as he raised a wall of fire between them and some of the spirits, before blocking another strike from the other side, as Eren unleashed another torrent of flame.

Roy payed close attention during the next wave of spells and he now noticed that the sand wasn't so much jumping up at his commands or that of the spirits, but more being pulled and tended to be more sluggish in forming, as if against it's will, but when Eren cast a spell, the sands seamed almost eager to obey and become flame.

Roy then took notice of Eren's tether, the one coming out of his nape, which had lost it's blue tent, almost as if it had been infected by the red glow that now dominated his body, with no more lightning attempting to take his body, and Roy could swear Eren's ear was already more pointed then it had been before, with the other not far behind.

It was then that it clicked in Roy's mind _the parasite! Eren shares a bond with this place but we don't. We're forcing this place to take shape with our magic but Eren already has a key_ Roy thought. It didn't explain why magic functioned the way it did here but it made sense. Ray was forced to focus back on the fight however and the pain from his cursed scar, which was actually growing duller as the spirits were wiped out, and as their numbers began to drop, Roy began to attack as well.

Most of them were spreading out to avoid the flames but Roy wasn't about to let them keep control of the battle field, forcing him and Eren back to back as they were. So the Rider aimed his hand at the ground "deloi waíse istalrí!" he yelled and actually smirked as a spell that would usually drain him badly, took effect and the ground around them became fire, engulfing many of the spirits.

A demon with bat wings screeched at them **"you will pay for this!"** It screamed before it and the rest of the spirits fled, leaving a stunned Roy behind to stare after them _we did it?… _Roy thought with shock. He couldn't believe they had actually pulled it off.

"AAAHHH! You bastards!" Eren screamed, reminding Roy of his berserking student "Eren!" Roy called out as he grabbed the boy and held him back before he could run off after their enemy.

The boy struggled at first but with the fighting over, Roy was able to focus on Eren and hold him still until he calmed down.

Eren eventually stopped struggling and took a knee as he breathed heavily while his senses slowly came back to him. Eren blinked a few time before looking back up and around him at the scorched sands which had turned glassy from the extreme heat "did…did we do this?…" Eren muttered with a somewhat detached voice, still feeling the after effects of the adrenaline that had been pumping through his system.

Eren was caught off guard by the sound of laughing and looked over at Roy, who was now laying on the ground, panting "and I thought Mikasa was dangerous" he muttered before looking at Eren "and most of this was you actually. Except for the ring of fire, that was me" he said while catching his breath. The Rider forced himself to sit back up though "we can't stay here though. That was only a small fraction of their power and they'll be back with countless more and we won't get nearly as lucky next time" Roy explained as he stood up and offered a hand to Eren.

The young Rider hesitated for a moment. Despite not feel particularly winded in the normal sense of the word, his head felt as though it'd just been struck with a lightning bolt, which might not be far from the truth and his body felt like someone had opened him up a rearranged everything inside. His tired and addled mind and body were begging for rest and time to process everything that happened, but Eren knew better then to give in to his body's wishes and took the offered hand and Roy hoisted him up "ok, I'll get to work finishing that spell I was talking about earlier and hopefully we can get out of here before they come back" Roy said as he got to work.

Eren took a deep breath and looked up to the sky to think about everything that had happened.

Though the fight hadn't really been short or anything, it felt as though it had ended as quickly as it had started for Eren, and most of it what honestly just a blur to him _is this what's it's always like?_ he thought as he looked to the sky and watched the the lights flicker and pulse through the sky. Too much had happened in such a short time and Eren wasn't sure how much more he could take before he lost it again _I swear if this day gets any weirder…_ he thought as he took deep breaths to calm his nerves.

"Eren?…"

The young rider jumped slightly at the far away voice that just called him, his eyes widened "no way" he breathed and Roy stopped what he was doing to looked at him "what's wrong?" he asked but Eren didn't answer. Instead he slowly turned around to look at one of the random tethers that had been floating up in the sky, came down to the ground and glowed brighter then the others.

"Eren, is that you?" The voice called out again, closer this time and coming from the tether, now dangling in front of Eren, who's jaw promptly dropped.

He knew that voice. He would recognize it anywhere "it can't be…dad?"

* * *

**A/N - **yet again, I have forced myself to end the chapter more abruptly then I would like, in order to avoid dragging out the update any longer. I'm also disappointed in this chapter a little because I feel like I had to cram too much plot stuff into a sort time frame.

Again, sorry for the long wait and thank you to everyone that a stuck it out.

**Magic translations** -

Magic guard - Vanyalí vard

Fire - Brisingr

Disease arrow - Mïnen oro

Earth be flame - Deloi waíse istalrí


End file.
